


Take me out of the dark (and into the light with you)

by Marble_Spider



Series: In the light with you [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Hargreeves is a good dom, Dolores is a mannequin and Delilah is real, F/M, Five has OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Five has an actual name, Grace Is A Good Mom, Implied Allison Hargreaves/Luther Hargreaves, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Luther is a bonafide asshole, M/M, Multiple Penetration, Name-Calling, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Porn With Plot, Sibling Abuse, Spitroasting, Submissive Klaus Hargreeves, Tentacle Sex, Trans-Klaus, mateo is confused, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2019-11-16 10:27:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 19
Words: 47,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18092588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marble_Spider/pseuds/Marble_Spider
Summary: After Five brings them back everyone slowly realizes why Klaus became so messed up and are determined to help him and Vanya as well as each other by growing up together and trusting eachother more.Alternatively: Luther is a distrustful ass and realizes it eventually then everyone goes to public school to socialize and be more than their powers.





	1. Luther

**Author's Note:**

> So I obviously don't own Umbrella Academy. This is based off of the tv show since I haven't read the comics but I made a few changes::
> 
> Ben has one main monster named Oren inside of the dimension that makes other smaller monsters and speaks with the monster. He also allows the monster to speak to other people on occasion using a pocket dimension. The main one is located on/in his chest but he can make smaller ones on his body. Tentacles come through the main one.
> 
> Ben's personal pronouns are He/Him but are They/Them when he and Oren are in sync.
> 
> In the comics Five and Luther are twins but in this one they aren't and two others are
> 
> See end notes for more

They landed in the past in their thirteen year old bodies wherever they were on that same day previously. For most of them it meant in the living room of the house. Vanya was placed on the couch by Luther who then scanned the area to get ahold of the situation. Five and Allison were hovering by Vanya's sleeping form while waiting anxiously for her to wake up, Diego was sitting in the chair tossing a knife in the air while Klaus and Ben were nowhere to be seen.

 

Luther sighed heavily, certain that Klaus was getting into some kind of trouble even though they hadn't even been back for two minutes when he heard a loud crash come from upstairs. It was probably Klaus looking for his drugs, he decided quickly and hoped that Ben was alive as well. After all the other boy had died around this time so he wasn't sure how Klaus would react if Ben wasn't alive. The two had practically been inseparable before Ben died. Always sleeping in the others, typically Ben’s, room and always  _ always  _ some part of them was touching the other. Hands held on the couches, feet entwined under chairs when they were able to sit near each other, pinkies grasped together as one excitedly ran or walked ahead. Fingers curled in hair during movie nights as one laid on top the other. Luther wasn't sure if he ever remembered one being without the other until life forced them apart. Except it didn't because even in death Ben refused to leave Klaus' side. Honestly why any of them hadn't taken Klaus seriously whenever he mentioned that Ben was still there with them was laughable especially since the boy's power was to see the dead.

 

Luther decided that he had some major apologies to dole out to Klaus about this particular subject later on…  _ after  _ he was done yelling at him for making whatever mess that he was into upstairs. Glancing at his siblings reactions only to find them all glaring at him he decides that whatever is up there is better than being down here so he takes the stairs two at a time and resigns himself to his fate. 

 

Once he got to the top of the stairs he could see Ben's light on in his room and went to investigate silently hoping it meant the boy was alive because he knew Allison would be happy if he was. 

 

“Well that is unfortunate.” He hears from inside the room. Luther steels himself for some kind of fight expecting Klaus to come out and start something instead of it being Ben. He's actually more surprised when Ben comes out of the room with bits of wood on his shoulders and his clothes ruffled instead of his drug-head brother. 

 

“I broke my dresser. Got annoyed and reacted way to close to it. Also I can't find Klaus anywhere which is what annoyed me. I already checked his room and in his closet so then I was checking my room and… well … no more dresser. I'm gonna need a new one. Speaking of do you know where Klaus is?” Ben says quickly to him as he comes out of the room. The question sounding like an afterthought more than actual interest like he'd rather ask anyone else than Luther.

 

“Um… no. I thought he was with you.” Luther replies stupidly forgetting what the other stated. He was to caught up in the fact that the other was alive to have rational thoughts at the moment. He watches the other huff in annoyance at him and roll his eyes as he walks past down the stairs whence Luther came. The front door closes just as Ben and Luther get down to the bottom steps.

 

“Children, why are you not in bed? It is well past curfew.” Their father says in his monotone way as he looks at all of them. 

 

“We were just going.” Luther replies immediately hoping no one else says anything more.

 

“Very well then. Off with you all at once.” 

 

“Where's Klaus?” Ben asks while moving closer to their father until they're only a foot apart.

 

Luther looks over to his other siblings as Father says that Klaus is on his first solo mission and will be back Monday morning. He spaces out of the conversation, since it just means that Klaus is gone for the weekend because today is Thursday, as he watches Vanya pace back and forth nervously. She must have woken up when he was upstairs he muses. She bites her nails and he isn't sure if it's a nervous tick from when they were kids or started in adulthood. He never really spoke to Vanya other than to tell her to leave. She has tears in her eyes and looks like a bird trapped in a cage that's ready to fly off the minute a door is opened. Notices her lips turn into silent words. Luther honestly wonders if she's as crazy as Klaus at this point. He watches as Allison moves in front of the other girl and grabs her hands with one of her own to stop the biting while caressing her face with the other whispering to her. Watches Five stand guard behind them with haunted eyes and Allison has Vanya sit on the couch once more. 

 

He settles on Diego last and sees him holding a knife in the air poised to be thrown at their father if need be. His words form back into his throat and inhales quickly intent on yelling for his brother to stop as he sees Diego move to throw it only to be held back by one of Ben's tentacles quickly wrapping itself around his wrist. He feels one wrap around his right ankle as well, loose right now but he knows that it can snap his bone faster than he can step out of its grasp.

 

Luther is pretty sure he gets whiplash from how fast things spiral from there. “You sick fuck!” He hears Ben growl out just as two tentacles come out of him. One wraps around their father's waist simultaneously slamming him into the door a few inches off the ground while the other goes for his throat. Vanya screams at him to stop, he soon realizes the others do too but hers is the loudest. Their father screams at Ben to get ahold of himself, fear encompassing his voice like a thick blanket, as well as pleading for Luther to do it for him if need be. Ben's anger is palpable as he lets out an otherworldly growl that somehow form the words of him being in total control currently and that if he weren't then the old man would be dead. Luther isn't sure how much of the statement is true since his brother is sounding more monster than boy at the moment and if this is what Ben was like when Klaus was just away then he did not want to know what Ben would do if Klaus were dead or actually in trouble. He hears Vanya shout that she knows where Klaus is and for Ben to let the man go just as Luther thinks the monster is going to snap his neck. Ben doesn't react for a few seconds. It's almost like he's fighting with himself Luther thinks. Then he hears Ben say the word, or at least he assumes it's a word, Oren darkly the tentacles seem to react to it as they turn their father away from the door and the one on his waist releases to toss him lightly onto the other couch. Luther watches with baited breath as the other tentacle releases their fathers neck last. The tentacles around Diego's wrist and his own ankle retreat back inside of Ben as the ones on their father give way. Their father gasps for air on the couch and shrinks away from Ben as the boy turns to face the others. 

 

Ben has a frown on his face as he makes eye contact with Luther for a brief second. The boy honestly looks like he's bored with the whole situation now and then raises his arm up slightly towards their father with his palm out. Luther takes notice of how far apart the two are from each other, three feet his brain supplies for him. He glances at Diego to see his reaction and sees his back walking away from them following mom into the kitchen probably in search of first aid. A portal opens engulfing Ben’s palm and Luther feels absolute fear encase him as a deep voice comes out of it.

 

**“Nelintes will not save you from me next time old man. He wants to kill you just as much as I do and if it weren't for the Siren then we would have. He likes her and knows that for some reason she still likes you. He likes the Jumper, Faerie, and Jester as well but he's hoping that by keeping you alive then you will help the Siren feel wanted. However….if you do not then you would make a very welcomed snack. The Ape is still blinded by your false faith in him to be against you although that may change soon enough. If you try to follow us to where the Grimm is then I cannot ensure your survival so it is in your best interest to stay here and let the Jester, Puppet, and Butler tend to your delicious wounds.”**

 

Luther doesn't realize he has tears running down his face until they stain his shirt. He was certain that Ben, that thing, was going to kill their father. Sure Father was an ass sometimes but he was still the one who raised them and he didn't deserve to die by the monster. He wasn't as nice to the others as he was to himself, Luther knew that deep in his bones but it was only because the others kept messing up all the time and didn't do as he asked: Vanya obviously needed to be locked up because she was such a loose cannon at this point. He knew the others wanted to help her but Luther thought the best option was to lock her up and medicate her until she thought she was normal again then let her back out so she couldn't hurt anyone. Ben wasn't even human most of the time and he honestly couldn't remember the last time he thought of his brother as more than a monster. Luther had always stayed away from Ben thinking it was best to avoid than to interact with the monster and get killed. He'd seen him tear apart bad guys like it was nothing. Sure the kid acted like he didn't want to hurt anyone but Luther thought it was just a facade like how a tiger can go from acting innocent and playful one minute to ripping someone's guts out the next. His actions towards their father currently was the last nail in the coffin for him. 

 

Then there was Five who regardless of what their father said had went against him and time jumped anyway only to come back and drag them all into his mess without much explanations and looking down on them the entire time. Klaus was the one he honestly despised the most, next to the monster, because of how much father talked about his potential but then practically spat in his face and preferred drugs over anything or anyone else including his powers. Diego and Allison were the ones he actually liked, well loved in Allison's case, sure Diego was an ass at times and got on his nerves but at least he understood that their father was only doing what was best for them. Allison was the only reason why he decided to come back and give Vanya a chance to redeem herself but if he was being honest then he'd say he didn't believe she could.

 

The next thing he knew he was reluctantly following Vanya to wherever the hell Klaus was. Allison and Five were on both sides holding her hands the entire time while Ben was following her closely behind. He was pretty sure that if he followed her any closer then he'd be stepping on her heels but Luther didn't care. He didn't see what Allison's fascination with Vanya was in the first place. So he was following loosely behind and quickly realizing that they were headed into a graveyard. They paused as Vanya released her hand from Five's and grasped at the side of her head in pain she whimpered in protest and Luther thought he heard her whisper calm down but he wasn't sure.

 

Ben didn't stop when they did though. He just kept going straight ahead towards the unknown or theoretically where Klaus was. Luther decides to follow in case the boy decides to eat a corpse or something, he honestly wouldn't put it past him at this point and wonders if he can stage an accident if it happens and how Allison will react to Ben being dead a second time. To Luther being the cause a second time.

 

He watched silently as they got to the mausoleum and furrowed his brows in confusion once they stopped in front of it. The others caught up just as Ben's tentacles came out again Vanya rushed past them and stood beside Ben while the others waited hesitantly by Luther unsure of what was happening or why they were really there since they were supposed to be looking for Klaus. Luther highly doubted that the boy who was afraid of the dark and hated his power to commune with ghosts would spend a weekend in a graveyard. They all gasped as one of the tentacles grabbed the mausoleum door and ripped it clean off the hinges then tossed it behind them like it was nothing. It isn't even all the way in the air before Vanya rushes inside the small building and they hear loud sobbing coming from within. 

 

She came out with a curly haired boy with arms wrapped around himself so tight that looked like it was taking all he could to hold himself together. It took him a few seconds to piece together that the boy was Klaus it seemed he wasn't an only one who took a few seconds to process because just as it dawned on him he heard a broken sob come from Allison as well. Vanya's own arms are curled protectively around Kalus’ waist as she moves him away from the building. Metal creaking can be heard from all around them as the crosses and shepard hooks for flowers bend towards her in her anger.

 

Luther watches as the tentacles reach for Kalus almost hesitantly, which he thinks is a strange thing for a monster to do, only to stop short when a burst of wind whips through the air between them and their goal. They hear Ben say her name sharply the warning evident in the way the tentacles slightly flair in defiance. Klaus whimpers in protest and the wind seems to die down in response. Just give me a minute comes her shakey reply as she tries to calm herself down. Ben clenches his jaw but gives a short nod. He turns and his tentacles go back inside wherever they're from shrinking back completely just as his body faces them. They watch as he comes and sits down on the grass just behind Luther and the others.

 

Luther isn't sure why until the gravestones that were behind Ben start to break and the mausoleum is completely destroyed as the wind and sound waves that Vanya picks up from somewhere rip it apart.

 

“You can't go back there like this.” Ben says with an eerie sense of calmness from behind them. “I'll be fine.” She snaps back. 

 

“No, you're not. You're too wound up to even be near the old man Vanya. You'll kill him if you get near him.”

 

“Like you won't?!” A burst of wind carries the pain in her voice towards them that tears up their clothes and scratches their skin in protest.

 

Luther grits his teeth and contemplates the best course of action while Allison calmly goes and sits by Ben. He thinks she's lost her mind at this point too because Vanya is about to kill them all again and Ben will be the cause of it.

 

“I'll have more control at that point to think more clearly and I don't plan on letting go of Klaus after this. He doesn't need you right now Vanya, he will eventually but right now you need to calm down. Just give him to me and let Five take you somewhere safe so you can blow off steam. Luther can go too if you want to make sure there aren't any people in the area and Allison can stay here with us so that you know she's safe.” He struggles to get out as he breathes heavier than normal.

 

Luther wonders just how much control he has right now as he watches Ben practically break down trying to get the words out. Notices the boy shaking and watches one hand grasp the other in a vice and he honestly thinks the hand would break if Ben had super strength like himself. He doesn't want to be anywhere near Vanya at this point, to worried that she'll break him instead of something else, but he does see Ben's logic and agrees it's the best course of action. He honestly just wants to grab Klaus and wrap him in a big hug and tell him everything is going to be okay. He wants to punch their father in his face and make him leave and never come back. They all pretty much have control of their powers anyway, Vanya and Klaus needed to learn to control theirs but they could help them out. Ben seemed to be doing okay too although Luther was skeptical. They could even go to public school once they were straightened out. He had a feeling that Allison would say they needed therapy as well and they probably did.

 

“What- what if I hurt them? I can't….I can't do that again...I-”

 

“-You won't,” Allison interrupts quickly, “You aren't mad at them just like you aren't mad at Klaus right now and you haven't hurt him at all. You're just trying to protect him and we know that but Ben needs to protect him too right now. He's just as worried about him as you are and his way of keeping him safe is to hold him while you go calm down so that we can all face Father together.”

 

Luther feels Five put his hand on his shoulder and feels the rush of a portal envelope them only to come out a few inches away from Vanya and Klaus. The wind was still rolling in the air but felt more like a gentle storm now than before.

 

“Give Klaus to me Vanya. I'll give him to Ben and we'll go somewhere safe for you to calm down. We'll come right back to them the second you're calm.” Five says with nothing but concern in his voice.

 

Vanya nods and Klaus is given to Ben in a matter of seconds then Five creates a portal and instructs them to hold hands as they walk through it together with Luther going first so the portal closes with Five.


	2. Vanya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya finds Klaus, makes a sandstorm and then goes shopping.

Vanya woke up when she heard the crash up above with a headache and literal screaming in her head. The screaming doesn't stop as she gets off the couch and starts pacing. She's going crazy. She made the world end and this is her punishment: screaming in her head for the rest of her life. Or at least that's what she thinks until the screams pause and turn into heart wrenching sobs. She started biting her nails and tried to think of what to do to calm the voice in her head down and tried telling it to out loud. Whispering it obviously as well as echoing it in her head, she didn't want anyone hating her even more and thinking she was legitimately crazy even though she obviously was.

 

The notes of her favorite violin song came into her head and started playing on repeat as she chanted quietly.

 

_ “You're not real. You're not real. You're not real. I don't even know where this stupid song came from. Vanya's the one that likes stuff. Oh God, Ben is going to keep me locked in here forever. I don't blame him. I mean everyone else hates me. Why wouldn't he? I put him through some rough shit after he died too. He probably hates me now. He's not even here now. Oh fuck, he finally left. No, no, no, no, no  no, no no, I didn't mean it. I don't even know what I said but I didn't mean it. Please come back. Please, please, please. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Don't leave me here alone!” _

 

Vanya bites her nails and starts to panic as the voice gets louder and goes into its own panic. At first she thought it wasn't real but it knows her name, and Ben which doesn't make sense at all. She feels Allison grab her hands away and caress her cheek trying to calm her. Feels herself be pushed down onto the couch and tries to pull herself out of her head. She focuses on what their father said moments before that Klaus was on his first solo mission and wouldn't be back until Monday and remembers a conversation she had with her brother years ago. He was drunk and most likely doesn't even remember it. She was venting to him how she was env of the others for being able to go on missions and Klaus especially since he just got to go his first solo one and was the first one to get the chance to do one by himself. 

 

He scoffed at her and with more hate than she ever thought possible as he recounted how the mission was their father leaving him in a mausoleum alone with the dead for three days so he'd get over his fear. Father had made sure he had eaten more than the others the night before and figured that one meal would be able to sustain him for the three days of hell waiting for him. Told her about the legless man that hung from the ceiling above him with his eyes gouged out and kept screaming and asking why Klaus was in his tomb. Told her about the kids his age with their throats sliced open and the barefoot mother with bleeding belly that told him to stay and they'd be his mother now. By the time Father had come back on Monday Klaus had his scratched his arms so raw there was barely any skin left on them and made him wear long sleeves and jackets until they were healed. 

 

She gets a sick feeling in her stomach as she puts the pieces together.  _ “Klaus?” _ She asks the voice in her head softly deathly afraid of the answer.

 

_ “Great now even the voice in my head doesn't know it's in my head!”  _ He wails back.

 

_ “No it's me!” _

 

_ “Yes I know that I'm Klaus you moron! Who else would I be? God I wish Ben were here. I hope he's okay. Whatever I did must have been really stupid for him to leave this long.” _

 

_ “No, Klaus it's Vanya. Ben isn't with you because he's with me. He's alive and worried about you. I need to know where you are so we can come get you.” _

 

_ “Cemetery two blocks from the house in the mausoleum. Don't tell them how you know. I don't want them locking you up too.”  _

 

Vanya gets out of her head just as Ben's monster grabs their father and wraps a tentacle around his throat. She's screaming at him before she even realizes it and watches as their father practically begs for his life. Ben lets out an almost otherworldly growl as he says he's in control. She shouts that she knows where Klaus is and sees Ben decide if killing the old man is better now or for later. She figures he decides on later as father is tossed on the couch.

 

Then the monster's voice can be heard. She sees Luther shake and tears fall down his face. Supposes that to others the voice is nothing but fear that resides in the darkness of people's minds but to her… to her it's laced with nothing but worry and hope that Klaus is alright. A promise that if he isn't then there will be hell to pay. She decides then that she'll be one of the ones giving it to him too.

 

Vanya leads them to the cemetery as Diego stays behind to tend to their father. She hopes he slices the man's neck open when they're gone. Braces in pain as Klaus's wails get louder as she hears him scream,  _ “SHUT UP YOU STUPID HANGMAN I DON'T ACTUALLY WANT TO BE HERE YOU KNOW!!”  _  in their heads and she has to stop to get him calm. Ben doesn't stop when she does and she realizes that he too knows exactly where Klaus is. Her thoughts are revealed to be true when she catches up to him and he's already ripped off the door of the disgusting prison. She doesn't even hesitate when she walks in the darkness and retrieves her trembling brother. Doesn't say anything about how he's holding himself like he'll break, it only makes her hold onto him tighter.

 

Ben tries to reach for Klaus with the monster's tentacles when they get in reach but she doesn't let him. Klaus  _ needs _ her. She can hear it in his thoughts and feels it in his shaking body but the small whimper he lets out as the tentacles retreat in self-preservation but flare in defiance tells her otherwise. Klaus needs  _ him  _ too and she knows it. She hears the warning in Ben's tone as the wind separates them. She may have the advantage at the moment but knows the tentacles are fast and eventually Ben would win. She would let him.

 

In what seems like an eternity for her but knows is only minutes she agrees to let Klaus go to Ben once she's calmer. ‘So she doesn't hurt him’ adding only in her thoughts.

 

_ “You won't.”  _ Klaus replies silently. She had almost forgotten he could hear her.

 

They both watch as Ben makes the tentacles retreat and nods while turning back to the others and sits behind them waiting in silent defiance. She feels Klaus panic slightly. His thoughts turning against him as the ghosts threaten his vision and Vanya releases her own fury on their graves and Klaus’s prison using the echo of his thoughts as fuel. She's calmer when she hears the concrete room tumble and watches the gravestones crack in protest.

 

Ben says she needs to  calm down otherwise if they go back now then she'll end up killing their father and she knows with every fiber in her being that he's right but she  _ can't leave him. _ Doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of telling him he's right either. She almost agrees until until she sees him shaking with anger too and fury rips through her like a demon out of hell. What makes him so much more in control than her?! He's already attacked their father once already after all. He tells her that they won't leave right away and that he'll be to occupied holding Klaus to hurt the old man. She can tell in his voice that he  _ needs  _ to hold Klaus right now. That every ounce of his control hinges on Klaus getting in his arms as fast as possible. He suggests she leave with Five and Luther as an alternative. Klaus stays with him and Allison so that Vanya can release the rest of her rage on whatever Five manages to find. Luther could scout for people and Allison wouldn't be in danger. It's a nice plan until she realizes that just because Allison wouldn't be doesn't mean Luther and Five would be safe.

 

Allison reminds her that she isn't mad at them and that she hasn't hurt Klaus either when she freaks out. Five moves towards her before the thought of acceptance is fully formed in her head and she's handing Klaus over to him before she thinks to blink.

 

It takes a few jumps but eventually they make it to what Five and Luther deem to be the perfect destination: the Sahara desert in Africa. She halfway listens to Five and Luther argue about leaving her there or not and eventually Five says that if Luther suggests it again then once she's done they're leaving him there and that the nearest town is a hundred miles north so start walking now or shut up.

 

She's honestly surprised when she checks in with Klaus to see if she can still hear him. He's a little fuzzy, like mild static on a radio but still pretty clear. She mildly gets concerned when all he says when she asks if he's okay is that he's warm but then she remembers that he hasn't eaten and is most likely exhausted. Also he's with Ben and so she knows he's safe. The sudden panic that he sends her way shocks her making her scream out loud and she accidentally makes a sandstorm rage around them because of it as the sound of her scream fuels it.

 

After a few minutes more than she would like Klaus says he's fine and that Ben is taking them to the park to wait then off handedly starts thinking about sleeping in Ben's room because it's safe until the lights are off because it's dark and he hates the dark because the ghosts seem more real.

 

She knows she isn't supposed to hear the last part because he continues to comment that he wishes every room in the house had a nightlight in it but when they were at the age of actually needing the things and he voiced his fears to their father the man's response was to cut off Klaus’s lights in his room completely and let him suffer through it. Which is why Klaus snuck into Ben's room in the beginning. Unfortunately even now, even when they were adults previously, his lights still didn't work but he didn't dare say anything.

 

To say that Vanya was pissed was an understatement. Not only was her brother afraid of the dark but their father knew and decided not only to ignore his condition but to increase his fears by shoving him in darkness any chance he got as a solution. So she decided to do something about it because she knows they came back for her but damn it Klaus deserved to not be scared every second of the damned day.

 

Apparently she had lost sight of Five and Luther during her outbursts and had to track them down before she initiated her plan. Eventually she found them and asked Five to bring them to a store closer to home before they go back to the others which he reluctantly agrees to do.

 

Once they're in the store she instructs the boys to grab two carts and follow her immediately going for the night lights. They follow her quickly with Luther behind her and Five following and watch as she grabs all the night lights she can and puts them in the cart and instructs Luther to grab a few more that she likes. She makes sure to get an octopus one for Ben's room specifically as a nice joke after she asks Klaus what he thinks the monster looks like and he replies with an octopus. She heads to the lightbulbs next without even checking if they're following and starts grabbing all that she needs and dropping them down lightly not even checking if there's a cart underneath for them to fall into. Five notices the small pile of lightbulbs around Vanya's feet and realizes that she doesn't know they aren't in a cart so he makes a portal underneath them and one that makes everything fall into the cart nicely. Supremely pleased when he hears Luther's whispered “Fuck” as he notices what he accomplished.

 

Once she deems they're done they have one cart partially full of night lights and the other with the corresponding bulbs. As a last ditch effort to find other light up things she finds a glowing octopus toy, light up glow stars that can stick to the walls or ceilings and blue glow in the dark duct tape. She decides to get the doll and ten of each of the stars and tape. She makes a mental note of the style and packaging of each in case they need more and is determined that after everything is done each room will have at least one nightlight in it along with stars on the ceilings of whichever rooms Klaus wants, knowing that they may all just go in Ben's room, and that all of the walls will be lined with the tape on the center and bottom parts of the walls.

 

They go to check out and she sees metal light up necklaces on a table that have glow stick bits in them that advertise a long lasting bright glow and can be recharged with sunlight. She asks the person selling them if she can test one and after he agrees she takes a violin one where the handle and strings light up into the nearest bathroom, shuts the lights off and watches it make the room a nice purple hue. She then comes back to the table and looks at the other options and decides to get one for each member of the family. 

 

She keeps the violin for herself, Luther selects a green arrowhead with glow strips in between metal ones, Diego gets a red light up bladed dagger, Allison gets a blue glow winged fairy remembering the monster's name for her, Klaus’s eyes light up green on his skull one, Five chooses a purple star, and Ben gets an octopus with light up orange suction cups. After a few seconds she decides to get Father, Mom and Pogo different colored hearts and decides she'll let them choose which color they want later on but that they will choose and wear them daily or risk leaving the house, mom being the possible exception.

 

The total for everything ends up being exactly three hundred dollars. She grimaces when she realizes she only has a hundred from her grocery run she was supposed to do in the literal future but Luther and Five put down a hundred each when they realize she's short. How they got the money she has no idea and doesn't plan on asking any time soon but says thank you regardless. She makes sure to put her necklace on immediately after and has the boys do the same with theirs to charge them up in the sunlight tomorrow. After everything is in bags and tied up making a total of three bags, two giant and one small, that Luther offers to carry she checks in with Klaus who says they're at a McDonalds because it was open and Ben is trying to get him to eat food. After a few minutes Ben texts her the address so that Five can get to them easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 will be Ben's POV and will contain more angst with Klaus but happiness and answers too.


	3. Ben (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times flashback with Ben and Klaus which means consentacles!!! Also Ben and Oren's relationship/dynamic is explained and their death is revealed.
> 
> Or:
> 
> Allison knows and ships Ben/Klaus just as much as us. Also Ben's monster buddy decides to try to give him a present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consentacles incoming!!! Also angst!!!
> 
> Point of reference: Klaus in this only refers to Ben as Benny during sexy times because I don't like the whole calling your partner daddy thing unless it's specific ships and I wanted an alternative to that since Ben calls him a good boy.

Oren's deep voice and feeling of  **MMMMMIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEE** bounces around in his head and shakes through Ben’s bones as the tentacles quickly wrap Klaus up in a sweet embrace as soon as they sense he and Five are in reach. They gently pull their beloved to them and whisper words of affection in his ear to try and calm him down. They're only faintly aware of Allison's presence as they make Oren's tentacles move around Klaus making sure that he feels safe. Each tentacle gives off its own heat and pulses with his heartbeat on its own so the movement is necessary to not cause overheating. Allison says they should go somewhere else so that Klaus calms down better and Ben agrees, tries to tell her he does but what comes out instead of words is a deep growl that is half human and half beast. Both unable to make actual words at the moment due to the rage and bloodlust running through them.

 

She seems to understand they can't currently speak though because she gets up just the same and patiently waits for them to move while rubbing her eyes to try to get rid of the tears. Ben makes sure the tentacles are holding Klaus as he uses his arms to push them up onto his feet only to have Klaus shriek in terror as the tentacles move Klaus away slightly to give his legs room to bend and push them up.

 

“NO!! No, no, no, no, please, please, please, I'll be good, I swear I'll be good Ben please don't put me back in there. Ben please, please. Please I'll stay sober as long as you want and I'll go to bed on time and I'll eat better and I'll sleep in my own bed if you want and…. and…. I'll try to get along with the others even though they hate me. Please….please… please… Just please don't put me back in there it's dark and scary and they yell at me and he didn't give me any food this time… I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”

 

Ben clenches his jaw in anger as Klaus gets even more panicked with each word that comes out until eventually he just starts sobbing and loses words entirely. How DARE the old man make Kalus think he's anything other than good, and kind. He tells him as much too. Reminds him that Klaus is  _ his _ good boy and that he did so so well. That he's gorgeous and smart and Ben loves all of his drawings. Loves when he wears nail polish because he isn't afraid to be himself. Loves when he wears dresses and skirts too. Reminds him that he looks fantastic in crop tops. Adores that he loves ALL of Ben including the monster and that he knows that they aren't the same that they have different desires that sometimes overlap. That he's not going back in there and never will again. He never has to go into another graveyard again if he doesn't want to. 

 

“I love you. I love you so so much baby. It's okay. You're okay. We're okay. I was just trying to get up so we could go somewhere else. It's okay. It's okay. My sweet boy. You're such a good boy baby. You're so good you don't even realize it.” He chants to the other while softly shushing him.

 

He starts rocking the smaller boy on his lap gently to help calm him more just as Allison pipes up and says that they'll go shopping for new outfits tomorrow and make the boys wait as they do a fashion show for them. Klaus give a little laugh at that and says that Ben and Luther would only be bored. Five would probably start complaining five minutes in and Diego would threaten him to shut up while reminding her that Vanya didn't like shopping. 

 

“Spa day too then. We all need to relax.” Allison replies with a small smile on her face.

 

Ben retracts three of the tentacles around Klaus so that only one is holding him close as the other boy shifts around so that he's facing their sister after Klaus starts wiggling in a way that normally meant he wanted to be released. From his posture Ben can tell Klaus is thinking and rests his head on the boy's right shoulder. His hands move around to Klaus’s front and wrap around his stomach to rest on the tentacle. 

 

He closes his eyes and his senses heighten and Oren takes over a bit more needing to feel connected. Ben doesn't mind, it means he gets to focus on Klaus’s heartbeat easier and inhale his scent without being obvious. One minute he's listening to Klaus and Ally lightly argue about what the best mascara to use that haven't actually been made yet is and the next Ally is gently shaking him awake. He knows it's her because his arms and the tentacle tighten around Klaus a bit as reflex. The knowledge that he's fallen asleep while sitting up dawns on him and he isn't sure how until he feels the mild vacuum suction of an open portal on his back. There's two small ones underneath his shoulder blades with two medium sized mantis legs protruding out of them.

 

**“You needed rest Nelintes and I was not sure how you would take it if I spoke to them directly so I made a small companion to assist you.”** Oren tells him after they feel Ben's question in his head.

 

_ ‘You made a mantis so that it could prop me up for some sleep?’ _

 

**“Yes. I can kill it later if you'd like or it can shrink to be a Terran sized one for you. Humans like pets yes?”**

 

_ ‘Well yeah but we tend to like dogs or cats. Things with fur. Some like bugs I guess but I'm not sure that a praying mantis makes a good pet. A snake would be better I think. You shouldn't just kill it though, it deserves to live too. You can't just make something and then kill it once it serves its purpose. How did you make it anyway?’ _

 

**“Very well then. I shall make you a snake to be kept as a pet. As for the answer to your question I have found that my limbs can be detached by will and I can shape them into other creatures that I have seen you view. I am quite fond of my shark with lungs and have named it Maximus. Your language and letters intrigue me and I have decided to name multiple things. This mantis shall be named Gerald.”**

 

‘ _ Gerald and Maximus? Wait….what do you mean you're making me a snake?’ _

 

**“You said that a snake would make a good pet so I will make you the finest companion, who like me will be tied to your lifespan. They will be the fiercest warrior and a great asset in battle. They will also love our beloved as you have described a dog loves their master. However I am not sure how long this will take so please do not expect them immediately. I will send it to you when I am finished.”**

 

Ben doesn't get the chance to respond because Klaus wriggles out of his grasp and asks if they can go to the park because he's tired of being here. Allison agrees quickly with a smile on her face and an outstretched hand. 

 

They got to the park pretty quickly and found a table with benches to sit around. Klaus sat in Ben's lap once more with his back turned to Allison, who sat on the opposite side, and quickly fell asleep with his head resting in the crook of Ben's neck. 

 

“You don't seem surprised. Actually you've been quite calm with everything so far.” Ben remarks quietly to his sister trying to gauge her reaction.

 

She smiles at him quickly and her eyes speak of wisdom beyond her small thirteen year old body. He supposes his do too in a way. Then blushes a scarlet red as she realizes what he's referring to.

 

“I um…..I've known…..for awhile.” She stammers out nervousness evident in her words as she stumbles for phrasing. Ben just raises an eyebrow at her trying not to push but hoping his curiosity is made.

 

“We were fifteen and well you were… uh...loud…. If you catch my drift  and I wouldn't have even put two and two together if you hadn't come out of Klaus’s room two hours later trying to be sneaky. I needed a glass of water and saw you leaving.”

 

“No one else knows! I'm not judging either actually I think if anyone of us would make a perfect power couple it would be you two. Definitely not judging though considering Luther and I used to….well you know.” She says quickly as she raises her hands in defence. 

 

It's Ben's turn to blush though because he remembers that night in vivid detail. 

 

_ They had been in Klaus’s room that time because he wanted his own bed and Ben was never actually able to say no to him. He had been feeling hungry that day and it had been a new thing, letting what he had only known as The Monster back then fed off of Klaus. Careful and practiced movements were thrown out the window as one of the tentacles twisted down Klaus’s left leg and ended just beside his ankle. Little needle like hairs punctured his skin as the suckers flexed and it fed releasing an ink outline that they were unaware of at the time. Desire and hunger filled Ben as he sucked on Klaus’s neck and bit down his chest to the boys nipples. Ben's eyes glowed a faint yellow as he licked the perky nubs. Grinning like a cat he harshly bit the right one only to flick the other in altering repetition until they were red and puffy to his liking. He sucked and bit down the other's stomach and lapped at his navel. Klaus moaned loud and hard as Ben's tongue went to work knowing it was one of his weak spots. His fingers moved to the other boy's ass and yellow eyes met brown as they danced at his entrance only to take them away and get up to retrieve the vanilla flavored lube from the nightstand in the top drawer. Deciding to make it a show he opened the tube and messily poured some on his fingers. _

 

_ “Beg.” Ben had ordered gently relishing in the fact that the only part of him touching his lover was the tentacle gently feeding off the boy's leg. _

 

_ “Please. Please, please, please. Benny please. Need it. Need. I need.” Klaus tried to choke out of his throat as he was filled with endorphins from the feeding which made him even more of a slut. _

 

_ “Aw. What do you need pet? Tell me and I may give it to you. If you ask nicely that is.” _

 

_ “Need more. Need more of Them. Benny please. Need Them to fuck me. Need to suck you off too. Please. Please. Benny. Need Them to feed more. Please. I'll be good. I swear I'll be good.” _

 

_ Ben growled and had more tentacles come out and move Klaus onto his hands and knees on the bed careful of how he moved and to not release the one feeding as he got off and went to the front to where Klaus’s mouth was waiting open and ready. The tentacles made sure he was in place as they released him only to go underneath him and writhe against the boy's hole waiting with thin patience. He had another one come out that was shorter for now and shaped differently than the others with ringed ridges that went up to the flat top and stroked his fingers up and down it making sure it was nice and wet moaning every time his fingers made contact. _

 

_ “Color?” Ben barely managed to growl out before one of the other tentacles tried to enter. _

 

_ “Green. Green, green, green. Oooohhhhh so green. Please. Please. Ben. Fill me. Fuck me. Breed me. Fuck please.” Ben can't help the growl that comes out at the broken request to breed and fuck their beloved. _

 

_ Upon hearing the first green one of the smaller ones behind them enters quickly and barely makes an intrusion or hinders his words. Only when it deflates some to let a medium one enter with it does Klaus moan again. Ben takes the moment to shove his cock in and hold his head with one hand as the other still strikes the ribbed appendage. He lets Klaus move how he pleases for a few minutes. His bright yellow eyes watch in fascination as his dick disappears down the boy's mouth and hits his throat. _

 

_ “Yessss” Ben hisses out as more tentacles fill Klaus’s ass and start fucking him harder. He clenches his hand in the other's hair then and takes over barely letting him breathe as he gets lost in feeling of fucking the boy in both holes at once only stopping when Klaus gags a little to much and his humanity returns slightly when he hears the sound.  _

 

_ Ben falters his movements and holds the other's head still, cock touching the boy's lips, as he breathes deeply trying to regain some more control over his and the monster's instincts. _

 

_ “I swear to God if you stop because I gagged then I'm biting your dick so fast. Ben don't you fucking-” _

 

_ He doesn't let the other finish as he shoves the ribbed tentacle into the open mouth and watches as his own cock slaps against his stomach. _

 

_ “Fuck! Klaus you like that don't you! Bet you do. Filthy fucking whore sucking an alien's dick. What you wanted wasn't it? Wanted Them to fill you. Wanted Us to fuck you so full you couldn't move or look at yourself without thinking of us. Fucking pretty baby. Aren't you? My little bitch is so pretty and ready to breed any time I want. Bet you'd go even faster if one of the others walked in wouldn't you? Fucking slut would love an audience wouldn't you? Yeah you would. You'd put on a show too. Let me wrap you up completely until the only thing they see is your fucked out face. You'd let me shove one of the smallest ones into your cock too wouldn't you. Fuck I just imagine it. You'd look soooooo good baby. Not gonna now though. Too much going on. Too much feelings. Fuck you taste soooo good baby. Have I told you that? Your blood fuck. Never gonna want to feed off anyone else again.” _

 

_ Ben releases the appendage from the hot mouth only to be replaced with his own cock. The monster's dick moves down to where the other tentacles are fucking his ass and leaking a thin slime coating. The bed is soaked with it and Ben knows Klaus is going to need new sheets after this. The others leave the boy empty only for a second as the monster's cock deflates some to enter. It squirms and pushes inside insistently and inflates as it goes. Sharp barbs protrude out along the ridges and catch inside of him then stops just as Klaus thinks he can't take any more. Ben holds his shoulders still and tilts his chin up to meet his eyes. _

 

_ “Gonna fuck you so good baby boy. Gonna breed you just like you wanted but you can't move away. They're locked in you right now so if you move it's gonna hurt. Understand?” Ben coos and asks him. _

 

_ Klaus nods his head and that's all the warning he has as the monster starts fucking him full. The barbs catch and pull on his insides adding a little pain and both boys moan loudly, Klaus’s muffled by the cock in his mouth but still as loud as Ben's. Ben's left hand never leaves Klaus’s shoulder as he holds him still through it. _

 

_ It doesn't take long after that before Ben pulls out of his mouth, holds his cock with his right hand and comes on his face. Klaus moans again as he tries to lap up as much as he can in his mouth. The monster comes inside Klaus just as Ben finishes and the smaller boy screams against his lover's cock as he finally does as well. His own mess soaking the bed along with the slime already on it. _

 

_ They both pant and catch their breath before Ben gently moves them around so they're laying on their sides and wait for the monster's cock to deflate before Ben pulls out of him. He removes the tentacle that was feeding though and returns it to its own dimension. As they wait Ben pets Klaus’s hair and tells him what a good boy he was and how much he loves him. Once it does and Ben thinks the others are asleep he gets out of bed and tries to go to his own as quietly as possible for when mom wakes them up. Normally he wouldn't but they had already gotten in trouble the week before and he didn't want to push it. It wasn't until days later that they realized the monster had tattooed its tentacle outline, suckers included, onto Klaus’s leg with the feeding needles and he wore pants for the entire rest of the week. Ben died the next Monday and afterwards Klaus claimed it was an: In memory of Ben tattoo. _

 

“Thanks.” Ben says quickly as Allison smiles at him again.

 

“I have a question if you don't mind me asking. You don't have to answer if you don't want to to though!”

 

He laughs lightly and puts an arm around Klaus thinking he knows what she's going to ask.

 

“How did you die?” She asks with baited breath and fear in her eyes.

 

He swallows thickly and sighs. He already told Klaus years ago and other than him only Luther and Father, maybe Pogo, know the truth. Apparently none had chosen to tell the others and were happy to put it down as an accident.

 

“It was a suicide mission. I see that now. At the time… when I first died…. I didn't understand that but watching how father treated the rest of you I now see that he was terrified of me and terrified that what he had me doing wasn't working. So he had Luther, Diego and I go on a mission. It was supposed to be simple: random ass bank robbery to stop that only needed two people because it was a medium sized bank. The problem though was that I had been holding Oren in for too long before then and we were fighting each other. There were more people to take care of than we expected too and they thought they were helping when more tentacles came out to handle the guys that Luther and Diego didn't but before we left father had told me to stay in control as long as possible. So instead of letting more of them out when they offered I fought with them and it made them only try to help more because I was out numbered. Until eventually it wasn't just their tentacles coming out but them too. The problem though was that Oren can't breathe in oxygen to much. It makes them sick and it's poisonous to them so when they stuck their head out and breathed in too much they started dying too. Them dying combined with the dimension ripping open to much made my heart stop. To much stress on my body.”

 

Both siblings had tears in their eyes as Ben recounted his tale. Allison was outright crying and only got worse as he went on.

 

“It wasn't Luther or Diego's fault though. Klaus blames Luther mainly and himself for not being there. I know you all do but it wouldn't have changed anything. Father would have figured out how to get rid of me eventually. Figured out pretty quickly after dying that he kills or silences any of us that he believes are a threat. Afterwards he had Luther burn the bank down as part of the mission gone wrong because of Oren being out. Diego just saw him leave the bank without me and tried to fight him to go get me but at that point the place was on fire and Luther convinced him to run instead.”

 

Allison apologizes profusely for Luther which he doesn't see as necessary but appreciates it anyway. He then explains that it wasn't until he died that he finally understood his power and that dear old dad had been training him wrong. The first two months after his death Klaus had been so strung out that Ben hadn't even bothered trying to communicate and opted instead to hide in his room and try to talk to the monster instead. After a lot of pestering from Ben the monster finally told him their name except that it wasn't in any language that he understood so the monster reluctantly taught him and in exchange Ben taught them English. Turns out even monster language is easier to learn than English. After the monster tells Ben they want him to call them Oren, which was the shortened English version they came up with together, Ben no longer referred to them as such. 

 

It took longer for Ben to realize Oren was just as much in love with Klaus as he was and Oren was the one who kept insisting they stay with him. They even eventually explained how the dimension and gate worked inside Ben. It actually ironically comes from his appendix. Oren explained that he was called a soul-shadow and that the nephilim, who were the children of a demon and human mothers, had only half a soul. The other half was the soul-shadow specific to each child. The appendix’s purpose was to house the demon part inside of it and be used as a void between where the demon lived in its dimension and where the human lived. The dimension was specific to each demon too and was always the leftover home of the father.

 

“So are you saying that we're half demon and that's why our mothers all got pregnant immediately?” Allison whispers to him fear evident in her voice and face as it trembles.

 

“No! No, no, no, no. I think that's more a messiah thing actually. The old man knew the apocalypse was going to happen and wanted you all to stop it right? I think us and all the others were born to stop it but that it wasn't supposed to be one of us that caused it in the first place.”

 

“So basically no matter what we do the apocalypse still happens. Great.”

 

“Think of it this way: All civilizations come to an end eventually but we were all born to try to stop the natural one.”

 

“What happens if we don't?”

 

“Then I guess we all get to grow up together and be closer. Live our lives to the fullest and go out with a bang. No pun intended.”

 

Allison lets out an unexpected laugh at that and suggests they go to a fast food place to eat once their stomachs start growling. Ben somehow manages to carry Klaus there and she orders food for the three of them while he wakes Klaus up. The food comes eventually and Ben sends a text to Vanya letting them know where they are. She's surprised how quick it takes them to get to the fast food place and furrows her brows in confusion at all the plastic bags that Luther is carrying.


	4. Klaus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus gets a pet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re-upload!!
> 
> Who do y'all want a POV for as the next chapter?

Klaus was exhausted. All he wanted to do was curl up in Ben's arms and go to sleep, possibly have morning sex afterwards. Definitely have morning sex afterwards. He could already feel the other boys kisses on his neck and fingers in his hair.

 

_ “Oh God please stop right now!” _

 

_ “Fuck! Vanya, seriously?” _

 

_ “Oh I'm sorry, I don't exactly know how to control this when we're close. When we're apart I just focus on what I'm doing and it's fine but when we're close it's like you're always in my head now and it's weird.” _

 

_ “Well figure it out.” _

 

“I don't know how!” She replies whispers out angrily.

 

They had all filed into it with Klaus, Ben and Allison on one side and Luther, Five and Vanya on the other with the bags underneath the table. A fork starts levitating a few inches and the others look concerned at her. 

 

_ “You could help.”  _

 

“Fine.” He says and starts to purposefully think of any annoying thing he can. 

 

First it's a really annoying song which makes him think of this dog he saw a couple days ago in the future and that leads to him imagining getting a dog and naming it Milkshake regardless of the gender because Ben likes milkshakes. He probably wouldn't want it as a dog name though since he's more sensible. He'd probably name it Martin or Courtney or something human based. Which in turn makes Vanya start playing concerto number one in a minor to drown out Klaus’s rambling.

 

“What the ever living  _ fuck _ is that?”

 

“Concerto number one in A minor that was created by Dmitri Shostakovich.” She mumbles out with her head laying on her arms.

 

“Well it sounds like a death march and it's annoying.” 

 

“Oh really?” She pops her head up to reply.

 

“It's better than you rambling about naming a dog Milkshake.”

 

“Does anyone know what's going on here?” Five whispers to the others as Vanya and Klaus argue. They all shake their heads no with mirroring looks of concern and confusion. 

 

“No it's not! Milkshake is an excellent name for a dog!” He shouts as the levitating fork gets higher and shoots across the room landing in the wall in front of them.

 

“KLAUS!” 

 

“Sorry.” He mumbled out in apology.

 

“Think it's time you kids leave now. Shouldn't you be in bed anyway?” A brown haired worker with a southern accent came and asked them.

 

Mumbling out apologies they went out the door and told the tales of what happened throughout their respective nights. Allison told them about the mantis legs protruding from Ben's back suddenly when he was sleeping and Vanya gave them their necklaces.

Klaus felt absolute warmth when she gave him his and sent a silent thank you to her through his head. She didn't reply but he knew it was because she thought he didn't want her to. Which he knew also because of the head thing. He groaned inwardly as he thought about what it meant and why it hadn't happened before. He supposed it was a combination of Vanya's pills suppressing her powers and his drug use trying to suppress his own. Only one of them had been successful unfortunately. 

 

He grit his teeth as they walked down the sidewalk with their necklaces glowing. They helped his peace of mind and would definitely help in the house but they still didn't stop the ghosts from showing up and bugging him in the first place. There were ten so far that kept following him. So he started walking a little faster than the others to try to distance himself. More started showing up as he studied the originals. Three women who looked like they were of hispanic descent and seven men of different ages and ethnicities. All of which were annoyingly screaming his name at the top of their lungs.

 

“God I need alcohol.” Klaus started rubbing his temples as more showed up. Kids with missing limbs, a woman with her throat sliced and even a dead dog. The dog was new. He had never been able to see dead animals before and had assumed that whatever tied the humans to the earth didn't apply to them. Apparently he was wrong. He was hyperventilating and on the ground within seconds after seeing the dog. Surrounded by his siblings trying to help him and clutching his head in between his hands like a vice.

 

They were shouting his name, someone's hands were on his back trying to sooth him, Vanya was in his head singing lullabies and chanting reassurances. Ben tipped his head up and was telling him to focus and breathe. Then there was a loud shriek of terror from Allison as she came face to dead face with the woman who had her throat cut.

 

“Jesus no wonder why he's on drugs all the time.” He heard Luther say as the dead materialized around them.

 

Klaus brought his hands down to his face and realized they were shining blue just like when he had summoned Ben. He was overusing his powers and had no idea why or how to stop it. Which was unfortunate because he  _ really  _ wanted it to stop. 

 

A thump could be heard from behind them suddenly along with strange huffing sounds. “What the fuck is that thing?” “Do we kill it?” He heard Luther and Five ask simultaneously from behind him. 

 

Klaus forced himself to breathe in through his nose and out through his mouth a few times while focusing on Ben and Vanya's voices, shutting the others out. He watched as his hands slowly stopped glowing and Ben told him when he couldn't see them anymore since they were still visible to Klaus. He did notice that they stopped having that weird blue glow around them. 

 

“They aren't going to come back are they?” Allison whispered out after they had all disappeared from normal people's vision. 

 

“Don't think so. He seems fine now.” Five replied.

 

Ben helped Klaus off the ground to see what everyone was talking about and saw that a large black and white lizard with an armadillo shell on its back instead of regular scales and a massively long two tipped tail was huffing at the others. After a few seconds it started flicking its odd tail at them and stomping when they tried to get closer. Five and Luther were trying to keep it away from them while Vanya and Allison were behind it not letting it escape. The lizard turned to face Klaus and let out a strange whine like growl before curling up into a ball, used its tail to smack the ground before quickly curling it up and roll straight at him.

 

“Aw! It's cute!” Klaus cooed as the lizard quickly made the others stumble. “Pretty fast too!” He picked it up by its sides when it uncurled underneath his feet and tickled its chin as it flicked its tounge out. He saw the inside of its mouth was more like a snake than lizard and had two big fangs as well as razor sharp smaller ones but the tongue came out like a snake.

 

“Klaus put it down! We don't know where it came from or what it is! It could have rabies or something!” Luther exclaimed.

 

The others walked closer to them and Klaus smiled at it as Allison said it came from Ben which earned them all a confused scoff.

 

“What do you mean it came from me?!”

 

“There was a portal that opened up on your back and that thing fell out and started huffing at us.”

  
  


Ben opened a small portal on his right hand. “What did you do?!”

 

**“I made you a snake. It is fully grown and a worthy battle companion! It is also warm blooded so it does not sleep during the cold as that would hinder its ability to be of assistance.”**

 

“THAT. IS. NOT. A. SNAKE. I don't know what it is but it's not a snake and I'm not keeping it!”

 

“It's a black and white tegu you morons. Looks like it's part armadillo and snake too but the lizard part is definitely a tegu.” Klaus informed them with an unconcerned stare. He put his hands underneath the lizard to hold it closer to his chest and giggled as it bumped his cheek and let out a small affectionate growl. Large gold snake eyes stared back on the lizard face as he cooed at it.

 

“Wait. Can we just go back to the fact that the monster inside of Ben made him a pet that they thought he could take on missions? Because that's completely adorable.” Vanya says while Allison giggles behind her hands.

 

“Benito I'm keeping him. His name is Sparky and we shall wear matching hats.”

 

“You don't wear hats.”

 

“Then I'll start wearing hats!”

 

“That's….probably not a good idea.”

 

“Me wearing hats? What's wrong with me wearing hats? I think I'd look good in a hat. How dare you say I wouldn't.”

 

“No...not- ugh. There's no way dad is going to let you keep that thing.”

 

“We're four super powered kids against one old man.”

 

“See Allison gets it! Wait...four? Why only four?”

 

“I'm not sure what Diego, Luther and Five's stances are but as for the rest of us: you obviously want to keep him, Ben can't say no to you unless it's something dangerous or life threatening or you doing drugs again, which would be both dangerous and lethal, Vanya seems to be on your side, although correct me if I'm wrong, and I think he's cute so why not. As long as he doesn't eat my shoes that is.”

 

“My only thing is that if we get him a litter box then I'm NOT cleaning it. Otherwise as Allison said I'm in.”

 

“Don't be ridiculous! He will use the toilet like a civilized gentleman!”

 

“It's not going to eat us in our sleep is it?” Luther glances at the lizard in his brother's arms worryingly.

 

**“Of course not. I think it eats flesh of moos and bok-boks. At least that's what you humans are so fond of and you have teeth like the snake.”**

 

“Moos and bok-boks?” Five raises a brow at the portal.

 

“Cows and chickens.” Ben offers as explanation before closing the portal. Sending a silent annoyed thanks to Oren in his head.

 

Luther and Five agree to back Klaus if it becomes an issue earning them a genuine smile from the other boy. He starts doting on the lizard soon after and scratches its head. Sparky shifts his head towards the touch and rumbles appreciatively until Klaus stops to hold Ben's hand so they can head home. The lizard nudges his new master in objection and Ben glares at it in turn already despising the creature for stealing Klaus’s affections. Ben thinks he's won the round when the lizard lays its head on Klaus’s arm until it lets out an annoyed meow instead of a huff.

 

“Uh...did it just?” Luther questions.

 

“Yep.” Five says defeatedly. He knew it wouldn't be this easy. After all the thing that made it refers to cows and chickens as moos and bok-boks.

 

“Right….and we're not gonna do anything?”

 

“Nope because it just means he's interesting. Yes you are. Who's a little cutie pie? You are! That's right. I'm gonna get you sweaters and a harness and a leash and we're gonna go for walkies. Yes we are!” Feeling his, or more correctly Ben's, bed calling to him Klaus turns around with Ben in hand and starts trekking back home as if he hadn't just started overusing his powers, had a panic attack and that a giant lizard that had been created by a monster from another dimension appeared out of his boyfriend's back. He was determined to keep his interesting new pet and was already planning on all the things to buy for for him and how best to toilet train a giant lizard.

 

He and Ben make it up the stairs without any hassle. Klaus assumes their father is sleeping or avoiding them in his study which is perfectly fine with him. He sets Sparky down on the bed and climbs in without so much as glancing at his boyfriend or removing his clothes. He felt Ben curl up behind him after closing the door and pulled Sparky close to snuggle. 

“You're not going to talk me out of keeping him?”

 

“No point. You've already made up your mind and besides if I say you don't want him then Oren will probably kill him anyway. We just need to figure out how to explain the shell.”

 

“We could say it's a weird sweater? Also need to explain his eyes and mouth which are actual snake parts. I personally find that part hilarious. Also who's Oren?” Klaus starts stroking the armored lizard feeling the need for alcohol, or pills, or he would settle with scratching his arms again but doubted Ben would like any of those.

 

“The monster's name. Now shut up and go to sleep. We'll talk more later.”

 

The blanket was pulled over them and he felt Ben's arm across his waist. He sighed at the contact and wiggled into him for more smiling when he felt the other's nose against his neck and his breathing even out meaning he was asleep.

 

_ “Mind some company? Allison and I were wondering if we could bunk with you and Ben.”  _ He heard Vanya whisper in his head.

 

_ “Sure. Not enough room on the bed though.” _

 

_ “That's okay. We have blankets.” _

 

Klaus figured they had been right outside seeing how quickly they came in. Sure enough they had enough blankets and pillows to build a decent pallet and between the two of them it came to life in minutes with the girls laying in the middle of it. Not long after Five and Diego came in with their own blankets and curled up in front of the bed until only Luther was left outside the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast and shopping next!!


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five and Grace have a heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said breakfast and shopping would be this one but I wanted to do a Five chapter and it sets up nicely for what happens at breakfast anyway. Plus I need that one to be in a specific characters pov.
> 
> Also I know it's shorter than normal, I checked, but the next one should make up for it....hopefully...

Five woke up well before the others at the ripe time of four am, a habit he picked up while in the apocalypse, only to find glowing yellow snake eyes staring down at him from the bed. He tensed until he realized it was Klaus's new pet who also apparently liked to wake up at four am. 

 

“Well I suppose you'll start making duck noises or something and wake your masters if I don't get you down right?” The lizard blinked at him and Five took it as confirmation. “Don't eat me.” He said as he reached for the other. Sparky only stared as him as Five picked him up and carried him to the kitchen where he planned on making coffee. 

 

He set Sparky down on the floor and got to work on finding the coffee pot and where their warden kept the good stuff, maybe he could mix some brandy in with it too. He found him humming to a song he didn't actually know the words to and wasn't sure it had any when he felt something bite his ankle. “Son of a! Fuck! Why did you do that? What? Do you want something to drink too?” He whirled around to face the lizard culprit who only rumbled at him and licked its lips. “I don't know what that means!” He whispered loudly trying to not wake anyone else.

 

Five watched as the lizard walked away from him and went straight to the kitchen sink. He went to grab a bowl for Sparky only to find the lizard on the counter with the faucet turned on and drinking the running water. “How did you do that?”

 

Sparky rumbles at him from on the counter and turns the faucet off with his tail. Five watches the lizard back away from the sink then he watches as a shadow moves towards Sparky and the lizard sinks into it only to come out of another shadow on the floor below. It's only the combination of the fact that Five has seen some weird shit over the years and how his own ability works that he doesn't start freaking out hoping that it's only able to travel a small radius away. 

 

The lizard ignores him as it walked back to Ben's room and crawled up the comforter that was hanging off with it's long legs and shuffled under Klaus's arm and went back to sleep. So Five wen to the library for research. He wanted to know what all the strange mix of animals it was made of and nothing was better than sitting down with research books. He picked up the book on lizards first to look up tegus to see what they really ate and looked like.  Apparently the monster couldn't even be bothered to use the same lizard for the whole body. While the head and neck were from a tegu the legs and oddly twin tipped tail was from a komodo dragon. 

 

“That explains its height I guess.” He mumbled to himself and grabbed the book on snakes. He was halfway through the book when he heard another set of footsteps descend on his slice of temporary paradise. Well for it to really be paradise then he needed alcohol but that also seemed like taboo in a weird way. He could tell from the way they walked that it was Grace. Of course she'd come in and squash his solace. She was always trying to get him to do things with her so they could bond. She didn't seem to understand that he was not Diego and did not want to bond with an emotionless automated mannequin.

 

“Hello. What are you doing?”

 

“Not that it's any of your business robot but I'm trying to dissect Klaus's pet without  _ actually _ dissecting it. It's rather annoying and I'm pretty sure Ben wouldn't be to keen on me speaking to the monster personally so I'm referring to books instead.” He replied without looking up. Grace would leave after awhile and was determined to not speak to her further.

 

“I see,” Grace paused, if she were real then Five would've thought she was trying to not spare his feelings about something but she was a robot so she probably just shorted out. “I need your help with something Mateo.”

 

Five grit his teeth at his “given” name. Hated that she thought she could name him like the others. He had a name and unlike the others knew what he was: a lab rat for their father to take out and show off whenever he wanted. Except a small part of him knew that he wasn't but it was hard to think like that when every inch of the place you lived in was monitored by a disgusting scientist. He looked up at her and was fully prepared to tell her off. Tell her that that wasn't his name and to leave because he had things to do. Until he saw the screwdriver and laptop in her arms that is then curiosity got the better of him. Damn it.

 

“Why do you have a screwdriver and a laptop?”

 

Grace smiled at him and walked towards him then sat down. She placed her things in between them and held out her right arm, pressed the hatch on it that accessed her cables and plugged them into the laptop. “I need you to rewrite my programming so I can't hurt you children but can hurt Pogo or your father in case I need to.”

 

“Why would you need to?”

 

“I bet it was lonely during the apocalypse. I'm sorry you had to go through it alone.” She smiled and put her other hand on his.

 

“How much do you-”

 

“All of it and I need to know that he won't hurt any of you. With Ben understanding his ability now, Klaus trying to understand his own and Vanya not on her meds he's more likely than ever before to isolate you from each other and run even more tests. You're also more of a threat than before with your new understanding of things. I know that you don't see me as your mother nor do you see the similarities between yourself and Diego but you are.” She interrupted hastily.

 

“We're not siblings!” The words flew from his mouth before he could stop them and tasted like bile in his throat.

 

“No,” She said calmly, “But you are cousins. Your mothers were sisters. That's why I named you so similarly, I was hoping one of you would make the connection eventually and ask questions.”

 

“How… do you know all of this? How do you remember the future or know who our mothers were?”

 

“He programmed me with all of your biological information available to me so I could have preemptive measures for allergic reactions or health issues. I also have a program that makes me remember alternative timelines that I've been in or a restart of one. He programmed it in me before he died. I need you to make sure I remember too so that I can give you the freedom that you deserve. You're all adults after all. You much more so than the others in some ways.”

 

“You really do care about us.” His voice cracked with the realization and wasn't sure how he didn't see it before. Was probably to concerned with going against the old man and viewing her as his puppet.

 

“Of course I do. You're my children. I understand that while most of you aren't related and that some of you are more infatuated with the others no matter what you're still my children regardless of what you call each other.”

 

“Most of us? You mean besides Diego and I?”

 

“More on that later. Will you help me? The others will be waking soon and we're having oatmeal for breakfast. I know how much the twins despise it but unfortunately Reginald does like his routine and I'm afraid they'll react in a way that he won't like so I need to be able to protect them more than I've been able to.”

 

Nodding Five got to work on reprogramming his mom and upon her request changing it so that Reginald and Pogo couldn't fix her anymore. She only obeyed he and his siblings but would only do it if she thought if it were in their best interests meaning that if Klaus told her to leave so he could do drugs then she wouldn't and would be more likely to drag him out and get him sober herself. 

 

“This doesn't mean you get to call me Mateo in front of them and especially not around Diego. I get to decide that.” He said once he was done.

 

“Of course dear.” She said sending him another smile.

 

“Wait. What's with the screwdriver? I didn't need it to fix you.” He held it up to her for her to take it only to have her fold his hand around it and push his hand back towards him.

 

“In case this doesn't work. You can get to me the quickest and I know the you'll do what needs to be done. Jamming it in my ears or head in general should do the trick. Although I suspect you already knew that.”

 

He started to pick up his things and put them back correctly as she got up. He was seriously hoping he didn't have to kill her because he was honestly starting to like her. She gathered the computer and told him she was returning it before he got up and noticed. Then reminded him the others would be up soon. 

 

“Hide the screwdriver darling.” She said on her way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do y'all think of Five's name and what he's been tasked with? Any thoughts on Sparky and Grace?


	6. Vanya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya and Klaus learn the truth, breakfast is not eaten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to break it up into two parts soooo breakfast part first. Shopping will be next.
> 
>  
> 
> Headed to sleep now that it's written!!!

Vanya woke up on the floor when the stupid bell rang and groaned knowing she'd have to stay in control and act like her normal self around their father. Normal: as in blind to the fact that she had powers and that her father had lied to her her entire life. Had used Allison to perpetuate his belief that she was ordinary. Didn't know that she and Klaus could communicate through their thoughts. How unfortunate.

 

She started poking Allison and making stupid noises in her head to wake Klaus up because multitasking is always awesome. Her sister wakes up easily enough and Klaus throws a pillow at her head in retaliation while mumbling a fuck you at her. She hears Ben laugh and sets out to wake up Five and Diego only to find Five gone. She freezes up in terror thinking he left again until she sees him across the hall coming out of his room and lets out a sigh of relief. Allison wakes Diego up and Klaus carries Sparky out followed by Ben and the rest of them soon after.

 

Vanya was going to go stand by her chair like the others until Klaus came up behind her and directed her to his.

 

_“We're switching.”_ He replied to her privately with a small smile.

 

Vanya scurried to her new seat as their father came in and sat down. She glanced at Klaus and saw Sparky sitting like a dog underneath his seat with a silver serving tray that contained a bowl of his own with mixed up cooked chicken and eggs in it. Beside the bowl the lizard had cut up grapes. Looking to her own food she saw they also had grapes, pieces of chicken and oatmeal. Disgusting, horrible oatmeal that she hated with every fiber of her being. She was starting to want the lizard's meal instead complete with eating it on the floor if it meant not having to eat oatmeal.

 

_“It looks like my throw up. That's disgusting. I reject this. I'm not eating it. Nope no way. Sparky can eat oatmeal right?”_

 

_“No Klaus Sparky cannot have oatmeal.”_ She stared at him in disbelief. His description of the offending food did not make her desire it more.

 

_“It feels like slime going down my throat.”_ She concedes earning her a chuckle from the other.

 

“Is there something you would like to share with the rest of us Number Four?” Their father asked setting down his spoon and looking at him expectantly.

 

_“Um no. Not really just that I'm not eating this.”_

 

_You said that in our heads!_ She thought to him quickly.

 

_“Oops.”_

 

“No sir.”  He looks down at his food and swirls the slop with his spoon. He doesn't even want chicken at this point and was trying to figure out how to sneak it down to Sparky.

 

“Very well then. Eat your breakfast.”

 

_“Waffles.”_ Vanya hears constantly running through Klaus's thoughts at this point that she's even craving them herself. She stares at the oatmeal like she has heat vision and imagines the food turning to a crisp. What actually happens is the bowl explodes and sends oatmeal onto her face and on Five and Allison in the process. Both of which scoff at but she herself hasn't even registered it happening because the ringing in her head is so loud. She doesn't even know where it's coming from only that it will help.

 

“Number Four!” Their father slams his hands down on the table sending Vanya out of her trance-like concentration.

 

_“Why are you yelling at me?!”_ “Why are you yelling at me?!” He thinks and says at the same time in retaliation.

 

_“I'm not supposed to have powers remember! Also sorry about that.”_

 

_“Oh yeah. Fuck.”_

 

“Well of it wasn't you then?” Understanding crosses his face and quickly turns to violent fury. “Grace,” He says with a deadly cold edge, “Come take her to her special training. If she wants to be like the rest of them then she'll train like the rest of them. The rest of you off to your rooms. Number Four and I have some place to be.”

 

Fear seized them like an uncontrollable wildfire. They were going to be locked up. Again. This time he'd _never_ let them out. He'd make Allison rumor the others and herself into forgetting all about them leaving them to rot away in their prisons with only each other to talk to in gleaming moments of sanity. Their thoughts were scrambled with similar panic and desperation of staying out until they thought they'd break. Their mother came forward and Vanya whimpered as she readied herself to be taken away.

 

“No.” She replied from in the doorway behind them. Five smiled ear to ear at the sound and tried to get Vanya to focus and calm down while Ben was doing the same for Klaus.

 

Reginald huffed angrily. She was obviously experiencing a glitch and he'd need to fix it later.

 

“Very well then. Go wait in my office for repairs. I'll deal with these two myself.” He waited for her to move and noticed the other children weren't moving either. If anything they were standing their ground. An annoying thing that would need to be corrected obviously. He took a step towards Seven and heard a deep rumbling from underneath the table.

 

A small pool of shadow overtook the middle of the table near Vanya. Sparky came out of it seconds later growling and flicking its powerful tail in the air quickly. He took another step and the animal started stomping at him and hissing like a snake. He then made a door-like shadow form in front of Grace and another appear a foot away from Reginald. She stepped in it and appeared before him.

 

“One more step and I will rip off your hands and shove them down your throat then I'll let the lizard _eat_ you. Although I feel I should warn you that it may take him awhile and he'll most likely start with your feet which means you'll be in agonizing pain for hours. Don't worry though I'm programmed to make you as comfortable as possible when you're in pain so I'd place bandages over your injuries although I'd have to remove them again if he wishes to continue from where he left off. There are drugs to keep you alive during the process as well that wouldn't affect him at all. Medicine is great isn't it?” She sneered at him in disgust.

 

Vanya hear the others gasp in mixed horror and awe. She glanced at Five and saw only a look of adoration on his face.

 

_“Holy fuck mom's gone rogue. Does this mean he gets kicked out?”_ She hears Klaus faintly say. Can't focus enough on their bond to respond because of the shock they're both feeling.

 

“You think you can harm me? I have protocols in place so that you don't you idiotic doll. As for those two incorrigible children I should have left them with their brainless mother. It was a good thing I took them otherwise they would've ended up living in squalor. Seven had so much potential but was so defiant but the boy, well, he wasn't even born alive now was he. Stillborn. If it hadn't been for me he would've remained that way too!” He gets angrier as each second passes.

 

“What is he talking about?” Allison asked their mother timidly.

 

Grace sighed before answering. “Vanya and Klaus were born as twins. Klaus was born dead and Reginald believes it's why he can commune with the dead and Vanya can't. Their powers otherwise are actually quite similar. They both possess telepathy and are able to communicate with the other, their telekinesis only differs in the strength and ways they operate it. Klaus's is more think and do while Vanya's relies on sound to be taken in and then projected out like an instrument.”

 

“We're twins?” Vanya hears herself say as Reginald goes to grab Grace by her hair with both his hands.

 

Five moves quicker than the others have time to react. Portals over to their parents and grabs the screwdriver out from behind his back where it was held by his pajama pants to shove it into one of Reginald's hands and straight out the one underneath before he makes contact with Grace. Reginald lets out a bloodcurdling scream and stumbles backward.

 

“That was unnecessary.” She says fondly to him.

 

“Not really. He's an ass and you would've done worse. I figure him losing his hands completely would only cause him more pity from people than just getting stabbed. Plus he was going to hurt you and I've decided that I like having you as a mom. You should probably sign us up for therapy after this though we could even use the names you gave us.” Five replied offhandedly. “Don't read too much into it. Baby steps.” He says as an afterthought.

 

“Of course darling. Baby steps.”

 

Pogo comes into the kitchen with a first aid kit after a few moments and guides Reginald to sit down on his chair. He removes the screwdriver without speaking and starts bandaging up the man's hands with Expert ease. While Five goes back to his seat and Grace watches from behind him.

 

“Get out.” Luther says firmly making sure to not look at anyone in particular after Reginald's hands are bandaged minutes after.

 

“Yes, listen to Number One Grace-” Reginald glares at her, his voice cracking from the pain.

 

“-Not her,” He interrupts raising his voice slightly, “You. Mom has access to all your bank information and I know you have a house somewhere else that you can live at. You're gonna leave more than enough money for us to live off of as well as what you set aside for our inheritance and you're gonna leave and _never_ come back. Pogo can choose to go with you or stay. If you do come back then I'm gonna let them kill you. I'll make sure I'm not here to stop it.”

 

“My place is and always will be with your father. He is my creator after all.” Pogo says firmly.

 

Grace crosses her arms and scoffs at the ape, “Just because he's your creator doesn't mean he knows what's right. He made me too and you don't see me willing to leave with him and do everything he says without question. If anything you should know that what he's been doing to them is wrong! You actually had the choice to disobey him at any point and you didn't. I didn't have that and now that I do I am NOT going to let him hurt my children again.”

 

Pogo eyes her and speaks slowly like she's a small child. “You only feel that way because you're programmed to feel that way Grace. You aren't real. If you weren't programmed to care for them then you wouldn't. A computer doesn't care about whoever bought it and neither does a hairdryer. They just do as they're told until they can't and then they're thrown away. Do you honestly think that they'll mourn you when you stop working?”

 

“I know they will. All of them.” Five gives a small nod at her words.

 

Klaus and Vanya calm down after hearing her words. Sparky turns on the table sensing the change in his boy and walks back to Klaus. He hops off and snuggles into the boy's lap purring when Klaus starts to pet him.

 

“I heard a rumor that dad and Pogo did exactly as Luther asked them to do.” They watched as the rumor took effect. Twenty minutes later Pogo and Reginald were out the door and in a car. During which no one at the table moved fearing they'd somehow break the spell. The only one who dared move was Grace who took her rightful place at the head of the table.

 

“Soooo waffles anyone?” Klaus asked after the car drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I had Reginald call them out on it but I like Grace explaining it more.
> 
> Thoughts??


	7. Allison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping creates feelings

Allison and the others got dressed into the only things they had available, their uniforms. They had amassed regular clothes later on in life and hid them within their rooms either stashed in closets or under floorboards but they were still thirteen years old at the moment which meant that they hadn't thought to rebel a little yet.

 

Grace was at the door waiting and frowned at all of them. “I think we're shopping for Sparky's things first, then clothes and food after. When we get home we're burning all of those atrocious outfits and discussing what happens from here. Sound good?” Allison glanced around and saw everyone else nod with her in approval. Somehow even the lizard seemed to comprehend and nod as well in Klaus's arms. They loaded up into the van with mom driving and Diego up front, Klaus, Ben and Vanya in the middle and Allison, Five and Luther in the back.

 

They got to the mall's pet shop first and Klaus picked out a blue mesh harness that had reflective yellow trim on it for if they went outside in the dark. Mom had them make a green skull shaped tag with Sparky's name on it and their information on the back complete with Klaus's name as the owner instead of hers along with his cellphone and the home phone. He then insisted that they atleast get Sparky some hats after they found that clothes are hard to put on a lizard. Sparky also got a bed for each room in the house, besides the creepy ones, and three dog doors to be put on Ben, Klaus's and the main door so he didn't have to wait on anyone to let him out or in. The kitchen was open concept with the living room but mom commented on keeping him out of the fridge somehow and the employee ensured her that Sparky couldn't actually open the fridge regardless of his unusual looks. The look on mom's face said she didn't believe the worker at all and Allison thought the lizard laughed at the comment when he let out a rumble but mom didn't push it.

 

Allison then insisted on taking Vanya and Klaus shopping for outfits while mom went with the others for supervision and overseeing their choices. “Why am I here?” Klaus asked while following his sisters, holding onto Sparky's new leash, and felt his twins echoing confusion in their heads. “You're here,” Allison replies pausing to glance back at the twins, “because when we came back we said we'd change things and that means accepting all of us for who we truly are. Meaning that since you've expressed interest in wearing girls clothes before in the past slash future we're encouraging you now to be your true self.”

 

Allison paused what she thought to be her best speech yet to look at her siblings and felt like a rock had smashed into her face. She wasn't sure why they both looked upset. She didn't think she said anything wrong at all. She was honestly trying to be supportive in her brother's interests and encourage him more but that didn't seem to register with them as Klaus looked absolutely heartbroken and confused. While Vanya just looked pissed and Allison was immediately thankful that they were in public in fear of her sisters current wrath. She was also thankful that Ben wasn't with them because if Vanya's face was any indication of how protective she was becoming of Klaus then Ben's would be at least twice as worse as hers. Maybe only half. They were both turning out to be equally protective. 

 

Either way thank God for crowds and Klaus's need for affection when he's upset because otherwise she's pretty sure she'd be against a wall right now whether by Vanya's own hands or her powers she wasn't sure and didn't want to find out. She suddenly wondered if Vanya had always been protective of Klaus or the revel that they were twins sprung it into action. It dawned on her then that they both thought that she was saying that Klaus was a girl and not a boy.

 

“Oh God. Okay I didn't mean it that way. I just meant- not that your true self is a girl, because you're not. You just like wearing girl clothes and that's fine! Totally fine. I mean you spent all that time getting dad to let you keep your hair short and kept taking scissors to it yourself in the beginning and then telling us you wanted to be referred to as a boy. I'll admit it was weird at first but now it's normal and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.”

 

Klaus gives out a watery laugh and wipes his eyes at that and Vanya reveals a soft hesitant smile. “I'm sorry. I really was just trying to be supportive. Just because you're a boy doesn't mean you can't wear girl clothes doofus. I guess I shouldn't call you a doofus when I'm trying to apologize. I'm sorry….again.” She twirls her hair as a nervous reflex. A thing their father had hated. She had sat through many lectures expressed that once hair was made up then it should only be looked at and not messed with.

 

“It's okay. Plus if I get clothes of my own then I won't have to steal your stuff. I might though. You have really good taste.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“I have good taste.” Vanya says stubbornly. 

 

“Sure. If your taste is music teacher crossed with funeral director then you have excellent taste.”

 

She watches as Vanya glares at Klaus and watches as they have a silent yet expressive conversation. Throughout it Klaus goes from snickering to frowning once more to finally set on looking fake embarrassed. While Vanya raises her eyebrows and smirks the entire time. After they both grab her hands without letting go of each other they drag her over to the shirts first.  Klaus and Allison both find multiple crop tops they like and even make plans to switch some if the occasion arises. Klaus even somehow manages to get Vanya to try one on in the fitting rooms. She comes out beet red in a stunning purple velvet tank top design. “Shut up you like it.” Klaus says out of the blue with a raised eyebrow and knowing look. Vanya looks even more embarrassed as Klaus starts to laugh.

 

“Okay guys seriously this whole telepathy thing? Really annoying for those not in the class.” 

 

“Sorry. I just asked-”

 

“Don't you dare!”

 

“-That what she thinks Five would do if he saw her in that. Personally I think he'd die from internal combustion.”

 

“Wait….Five and Vanya are a thing?”

 

“No….unfortunately….not yet.”

 

“Klaus shut up!” They watch Vanya stomp her foot on the ground in annoyance. She storms back into the dressing room and back out in boring her uniform top and storms right past them to another part of the store.

 

They finally catch up to her in the dresses section. They watch her with her back turned to them pick out several nice ones most with flowers and nicely cut solid colors. Allison even sees a cherry blossom one she'd like to borrow in the future. If Vanya ever talks to them again that is.

 

“It's not that I don't want him to notice me…. It's just I'm not as eccentric as you two are. I don't like makeup. I don't feel comfortable in crop tops and skinny-jeans. I like pants and long dresses and skirts. Things that cover. I'm not a flaunter like you two.” She turns and looks at them with her arms full of dresses.

 

Allison puts a hand on her sisters shoulder, “That's okay. Personally I wear crop tops because I like how they make me feel. I feel confident when I wear them and I like the looks I get, well most of them. Makeup makes me feel confident too. It makes me feel more feminine at times.  I know it's stupid and I know I'm a girl but it's sometimes an added boost of this is me when I feel bad.”

 

“It doesn't make me feel like a girl. I do get the confidence thing though. I wear that stuff because it just confirms what I know: that no matter what I'm wearing I'm still a boy and the people that love me know that too and don't care. Plus the eyeshadow makes my eyes pop and I think Ben has a thing for it. It's a theory that I haven't fully tested yet though considering him being dead previously and all. You don't get much reactions from ghosts.”

 

“Klaus please tell me you haven't thought about or tried to have sex with a ghost before.” Vanya says seriously. 

 

“.....Okay.”

 

“You hesitated.” Allison points out to them.

 

“She told me to not tell her so I did.”

 

“That's disgusting!” Allison and Vanya simultaneously say with echoing horror and disbelief etched on their faces.

 

“Oh don't judge me! Not all of them look bad! Plus Ben was hot okay! Not that he's not hot now it's just he had more muscles then and now he has to grow back into them. Oh God we're gonna go through puberty again aren't we?! Diego's voice is going to squeak again! Oh! Luther's voice is gonna squeak too! This is great! Can we get video footage this time?!” He asks excitedly and starts bouncing up and down looking like a giant five year old.

 

Neither of the girls comment as they continue shopping for clothes and eventually move on to look get some binders for Klaus at another store. They meet up with the others and Klaus puts his hand through the leash so it rests on his wrist instead and has the lizard trail after them silently. Mom gets them dinner at the food court, apparently no one realized they had shopped through lunch. She orders them all cheeseburgers and a orange chicken bowl with steamed veggies from the chinese place for Sparky.

 

The trip home is pretty uneventful considering what their morning had been like. All the children trudged to their rooms and took their clothes out of the bags and into hampers for a massive wash tomorrow because mom was a huge supporter of wash before you wear. Even Sparky's bed and harness, with the tags removed, got put in to be cleaned tomorrow. 

 

They were all sitting in the den with mom in the main chair and everyone else on the furniture surrounding it. Klaus, Allison and Vanya were on the couch. Sparky in Klaus's lap and Ben on the floor in between his legs. Diego was sitting in one chair on one side in between mom and the couch with Luther in the other and Five was sitting on the ottoman in front of Diego when mom started talking.

 

“So I've been thinking and I think you should all have therapy also after we figure out the right dosage of pills for the twins I think you should all go to public school so you socialize with other children your age.”

 

“Pills?!” Vanya and Klaus erupt in similar outbursts. 

 

“So what I just go back to being normal?”

 

“I'm assuming these aren't the good kind of pills? Are they the Vanya kind because I don't think I want those.”

 

Mom lets them air their frustrations out and lets them calm down before answering explaining that Vanya and Klaus would be put on a small dose of lithium and would be increased over time to the right dosage to aid with their powers. It would help Klaus filter the dead and choose not to see them and it would help Vanya have a sense of control with hers. Vanya would eventually be able to be taken off the lithium once she had a better grasp on her powers but she wasn't sure if Klaus would be able to as seeing the dead seemed to be a constant thing for him. Ben speaks up and says that lithium works for filtering because it was one of the many drugs Klaus had been on previously but he wasn't sure on the dosage and it wasn't a constant. Klaus and Vanya both agree to trying the lithium and Klaus shrinks back in his seat in embarrassment afterwards which led to mom's next talking point.

 

“Yes I have some things to say about that too. Normally I would talk to Klaus in private about it but I think going forward we should have family meetings about these types of things so,” She directs her attention to Klaus and makes sure he's listening before she continues, “You will no longer have a door. You will have an open door policy if you are in a room by yourself and yes this means if it's just you and the lizard then the door stays open. If you're in a room with someone else then it can be closed but if that person or people leave the room then the door stays open until they return. I understand that you're growing up again and this will undoubtedly cause issues later on due to you trying to find ways to thwart this rule but until all of us are sure you aren't going to use again this will be your reality. I'm hoping the lithium will help eventually once you're put on it but until then I expect everyone to enforce this rule. Do you all understand?”

 

They all nod in agreement as she eyes each of them landing finally on Sparky. Allison starts to wonder how sentient the lizard is as she watches him nod and rumble his agreement as well. They're soon sent off to bed and mom kisses them each goodnight, including the extremely smart lizard, with promises to start the twins on their medications tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did reread my horrible attempt at smut with the Ben chapter to confirm I could do that thing I did.
> 
>  
> 
> Updating tags now!
> 
> Hope ya'll liked it, sorry it's late. Not sure who's POV I'm doing next. School is coming with revelations but I also want to do a Sparky POV chapter in between I think.....or after....unclear....


	8. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five and Grace bond more while she runs errands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear one day I'll write a Five POV chapter where he isn't bonding with his mom but TODAY is not that day.

It took four months for Vanya and Klaus's medications to work how they were supposed to. The day that they finally did Klaus woke them all up by yelling at the top of his lungs that he couldn't see dead people. Vanya had dropped the violin during the training/medical trials and when she finally gained control echoes of her violin were carried soothingly throughout the house. They hadn't just been training during that time though. Mom had put them to work on getting the house packed up and made sure everything they wanted was in boxes and moved. Cement was poured into the creepy basements that had been Diego, Vanya and Ben's training rooms/prisons. 

 

Five made some updates on mom per her request to make her capable of charging while moving instead of being stuck in her room. So he placed a pedometer in her right arm that also counted her steps like it was supposed to. He fixed it up so that the counter lit up through her skin for her eyes only typically. It charges her circuits with every ten steps she takes and acts as a secondary battery in case the main one fails. The main power source was now in her eyes which Five and Ben had figured out how to make solar powered and only took in as much power as she needed.

 

They had also went to look for another place to live as they were packing because mom wanted them all to have a fresh start. Eventually they found a mansion on the other side of town with a big iron gate and fence surrounding the eight acre property. They each got their own rooms and had their small twin beds traded in for queens. Klaus made sure the railing was sufficient for sliding down and then got scolded by mom to not do it because she didn't want to replace the railing. 

 

Mom had landscapers come in and build them a natural pool and had a plant part above the main part filled with water lilies, pond sedge and cattails. Solar panels were placed in it for year round swimming and a waterfall the width of the pool with an aquascape pump inside it was created on the opposite side for natural water flow. She had a greenhouse nursery created on the other side with a vegetable and flower garden a few feet away. On the day of the move two months ago they had a development company go to the academy and tear it down for good measure. 

 

Mom was in the works of creating a low rent apartment complex that was based on each tenants salaries and made sure it was stated in the contract. She had twelve units made and had to recreate the basement but she had all of them filled by the time she actually opened the complex up. Each of the tenants had a key to the lobby which was locked after eleven at night and they could buzz each other  in when necessary. She hired a maintenance team to take care of any issues and checked in with the tenants every couple of weeks to make sure they didn't need anything. They had been in their new house for a month before they decided to burn their academy uniforms in the natural burn pit and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire. 

 

The next day Five found her in her office which was a lot more welcoming than Reginald's. Pale purple paint was on the walls and plants were in the corners. His desk sat in the middle and mom's charging chair was behind it as a third option for her to use if she wanted. It had wheels on it now though and she often was using it to wheel around the room or twirling in it for fun. Now though she was crouched behind the desk in it and sifting through one of the large desk drawers pulling out a large manilla envelope.

 

“What's that?” Five asked as he entered the door less entryway. It had been a compromise between she and Klaus at first. If he couldn't have his door then it was only fair that she live by example and do the same. Now though it was just an unspoken assurance that they could come in when they wanted. He sat down in one of the plush blue high backed chairs and waited for her to answer.

 

“I have an errand to run today and needed your birth certificates.”

 

“Why?”

 

She pursed her lips and put the envelope in her purse. Five was pretty certain it had some sort of dimension in it because it was just a small blue satchel but somehow she was able to fit a first aid kit, full medicine box and now a large envelope in it. Definitely something fishy going on.

 

“School starts in a month and I'm going to get your siblings names changed officially for their paperwork. It's inhumane to refer to you as numbers.”

 

“Are you changing mine too?” He asked genuinely curious. They both knew he didn't have a problem with his name. He was honestly wondering if she even thought of changing his at all or even asking.

 

“I….wasn't planning on it. You're always so adamant about not liking the name I gave you and I didn't want to upset you by bringing it up. Our relationship is still….fragile. I didn't want to damage it by asking you something I already know you don't want.”

 

Guilt washed over Five as he realized she was actually sincere. She honestly thought he still thought of her as nothing more than a robot. Probably because he hadn't told her otherwise. They had been so busy moving and Grace had been making the complex that they hadn't had much time to talk about how he felt towards her. Even Diego hadn't been able to spend as much time with their mother as normal and had stuck to throwing his knives at trees in the woods passed the gate.

 

“You're concerned.” He said thoughtlessly. He slumped in his chair and moved his hands subconsciously around on his lap.

 

A smile formed on her face as she noticed his twitching. “Of course I am.”

 

“No I mean.” Five debates quickly on leaving and not baring his soul to his mother and then looks at her face and knows it will do more good for them than bad so he takes a deep breath and continues while forcing himself to keep eye contact.

 

“I used to think it was just a glitch. That you just ran out of programming or something before when you did that but now I know you're actually concerned. I'm sorry for making you think you're not my mother. For thinking that you're just a robot.”

 

“Well I am just a robot. No matter how human I try to act. I only have my programming to rely on and tell me how to do things. Without it I'd be a common house appliance. Unfortunately Pogo was right about that part.”

 

“No he wasn't!” Five shouts in sudden fury. His fists slam down on the chair before he realizes he's even raised them.

 

“I've seen your programming. I helped rebuild you and rewrote some of it. Your programming only tells you to feed us properly and to fix our injuries. It doesn't tell you to kiss us on our foreheads when you think we need it. It doesn't tell you to sing to Klaus and Vanya when they're upset or to help Diego with his stutter. It didn't tell you to read us bedtime stories and remember our favorite things. It didn't tell you to buy us gifts for Christmas that one year even though He thought it was a frivolous holiday. You wanted us to have a sense of normalcy and tried to keep us from growing up to being his instruments.” 

 

He takes a breath of much needed air and sees tears coming down her face which only prove his point.

 

“You're crying. That's not something a robot does. You have emotions and you want what's best for us. You are our mom. You're  _ my _ mom and I'm sorry I haven't told you that before. I'd like to go with you to get my name changed please.”

 

Five watches her touch her cheeks and feel the tears on them. Sees the silent question of how forming in her head. “You're an android. Human based brain with electrical wiring. Well, he gave you an electronic brain but was able to map it out and make it function as a human one. Apparently he added the unnecessary functions of emotions and crying too. You just needed a tune up to fully access them because he wanted you to act more like a robot. When I went in and fixed you to not answer to him I unlocked the code so that you could be more human. You can have hobbies now and do things that you want to do. Go outside whenever you want. Make your own decisions.”

 

“Still a robot though.” She replies with sadness laced in her voice.

 

“Nah. A simple toaster can't cry. Androids can.”

 

They leave the others at the house and took the car to the courthouse. Grace parked in the lot and spoke to the clerk about her appointment. “How do you plan on getting mine changed on such short notice if you needed an appointment for the others?” Five asks as they're led to another room.

 

“I've found money is an excellent motivator for on the spot issues.”

 

“Bribery. Nice.”

 

They get the names changed pretty quickly after that and Grace asks if they go to somewhere else once they get in the car but doesn't tell him where.

 

“You know you could just say we're going somewhere instead of asking right?”

 

“I know,” She says glancing down at him, “However you're an adult stuck in a child's body and while you won't have many chances to make your own decisions at school I think you should be able to make them when you can.”

 

“Okay. Let's go then.”

 

She takes them to an abandoned apartment building that's under construction and Five is immediately confused. “Why are we here? Also are we trespassing?”

 

“You're actually concerned about trespassing Mateo?”

 

“Not really. I thought you might be though.”

 

“Well we aren't trespassing because I own this building. I bought it a couple weeks ago and I'm going to rent it to emancipated youths for cheap until they can afford to pay more. It'll give them a roof over their heads and stability to get on their feet. I have twenty units in this one and I'm planning on opening another if this one goes well.”

 

Five looks up at her in awe as she smiles at the building. He's never seen her look so happy before unless it was directed at them but this, this was her doing something for herself. She was already learning. Not only was she learning but she was planning for the future. A future without Reginald he realizes.

 

“We can't rely on his money forever. Allison's rumor could stop working at some point and we'd be cut off so the money from the first building will be our incoming revenue and the money from this one will be put in a savings account for emergencies.” She explains to him seeing the question in his eyes.

 

“Now come on, back in the car. I need to start dinner soon. Sparky is going to help me make sausage and chicken in a pan. It has lots of vegetables too. Then we'll have cheesecake for dessert.”

 

“I don't know what I'm more confused about. The fact that the lizard is helping you cook or that you're letting us have cheesecake.” He replies as they walk to the car.

 

Grace stops on the path to the car just ahead of him and looks down on the ground focusing on something. “Do you still collect rocks?” She asks him in response, he's fairly positive she's trying to avoid answering. He quickly decides that if she doesn't want to answer then that's her right and humors her instead.

 

“No. I stopped a long time ago. Not very fun when it's just one person doing it. Why?”

 

“Would you like to start up again with me? I always liked it when you found treasures.” She picks up the rock she had been looking at and shows it to him. He lets out a small gasp as he looks at it and sees it's a perfect medium sized brown diamond shaped rock.

 

“Sure.” He smiles at her, takes the diamond from her and deposits it quickly in his pocket to be placed on one of the shelves in his room.

 

“So how is everyone doing in therapy?” He asks her on the way home while looking out the window.

 

“Now Mateo, you know I can't give out your siblings information to you,” She admonishes with a knowing smile on her face, “But from what I've heard through the grapevine Vanya is doing excellently. Unless of course… there was someone else you were interested in knowing about?”

 

“Nope!” He says sharply feeling a blush form on his cheeks. Grace makes a noncommittal noise and puts on music to drown the silence and hums along to the tune.

 

Dinner is cooked rather quickly once they get home and Five sticks around to see just how the lizard helps with meals. The boy finds the lizard is actually quite handy in the kitchen as he makes the shadows corporeal and stirs the ingredients from on the table while Grace makes dessert. Apparently Sparky isn't allowed to cook dessert because last time he ate all of it while making it so Grace had to make another. Grace shows the others their new name changes on their birth certificates after dinner and is drowned in a sea of hugs and varying thank yous from the others. 

 

Just before bed she tells them that they have an appointment at the school tomorrow to meet with the principal to chat and assure him they have control of their powers, during which they'll meet with their teachers and have a tour of the building before the official one so they're more prepared. Five makes sure to say goodnight to her last and gives her an extra tight hug trying to convey his feelings that he's been keep in throughout the years.

 

“I love you too.” He hears her say just before heading to his room and off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be Grace POV with Sparky misadventures and you learn how she decided to be on her way to become an apartment mogul.


	9. Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace visits a tenant in her appartment complex.

Grace had finally found a place for them to live and had them all settled in with everything they had wanted: a music room with excellent acoustics for Ben and Vanya, a math room complete with write on walls for Mateo and Ben, an art room for Klaus that had a ventilated side room with a glass domed roof for stargazing and was connected with ramps, shelves and hammocks for Sparky to climb on. He also had multiple beds to lay in and a rock formation to sunbathe on. Diego had originally asked for a room to target practice until he found the perfect spot in the woods for it. 

 

Now she’s visiting with Yula Belov, who is one of the tenants Grace has gotten to know. She's learned that the twenty-six year old woman teaches art at one of the schools Grace has been thinking about sending the children to. Grace came over for tea that Yula had just finished making and set on the small table in the living room where Grace was now seated.

 

“So how long have you been teaching art?” She asks as she picks up her cup and blows lightly on it.

 

“Two years about. I moved here from Russia to attend school for it and never left. Art is only part of the reason why I never left though, but enough about me. What schools have you chosen for those kids of yours?”  Her brownish-blonde hair is in a loose bun on her head and her brown eyes sparkle as she looks at Grace. Her thin frame resembles Grace's own as she sits in her chair. Yula’s accent is heavy in her words as she stirs sugar in her drink.

 

“Oh well, there's three private schools that want them to attend but I was actually thinking of sending them to yours. If it's still open that is. I heard it needed renovations?”

 

“Northview Charter? Why on earth would you want to send them there? The term renovations doesn't exactly shed much light on what needs to be done. Makes it seem like the poor building has a chance of standing for another year honestly. If you ask me the whole thing needs to be scrapped and redone. The damn earthquake practically destroyed it but the board doesn't want to pay to get it fixed all the way. We need new everything but no one has the money.”

 

“What if I did? Just tear it down and start new. I can pay for everything and-”

 

Yula raises her hand and cuts Grace off mid-sentence in a huff, “If you do that then they'll just think you're doing it because your kids are going to go there. You did a nice thing making this building for us to live in but that was purely for profit and nothing more. Random acts of charity from a rich person always have a way of looking like they're coming from a sense of entitlement to most people.”

 

“That may be true, unless I show them I had other options. If I show them that all three of the elite schools in the district want the kids and I chose them then they'll accept.”

 

“They'll think you want to take over the board. You'll need an alibi, something that takes up to much of your time already to even think about running for a board membership.”

 

“Well I did have another building planned for emancipated kids eventually but right now I'm working on a humane animal friendly pet shop.”

 

“I thought pet shops were humane?” 

 

“Oh no, most buy their animals from incompetent breeders and stick them in cages. I want mine to be as open concept as possible. I already have a building and I'm working on the interior now.”

 

“Well that's perfect. Tell them that and you shouldn't have anything to worry about.”

  
  


After they're done with their tea Yula gets up and grabs their cups as Grace looks at the pictures on the wall and spots one that has two babies in it wrapped in dirty blankets and one is quite bigger than the other. 

 

“My girls,” She hears Yula explain while coming up from behind her, “I didn't get to name them before they were taken. I was sixteen when I had them you see and my mother gave them to an orphanage the next day while I was resting. I did name them after though; Gavrila was supposed to be the first born, she's the bigger one on the left. Karina was the smaller second born and the one on the right. They were two of the forty-three children born. I've been looking for them ever since but so far I haven't been able to find them.”

 

Grace thanks her for her time and wishes her the best in finding her children before she leaves to head to the school and speak to the principal and board. Once there they agree to let Grace fund the renovations for the school and that the kids can attend as long as they take a tour before everyone else gets there so the board can make sure they can handle it.

  
  


Once home Grace heads to her office and finds Sparky sitting on her desk with her laptop and tool case beside him. “Well alright, but I make no promises that this will work.” She says before sitting down in her chair and grabs a small device in the case. She had started working on it after Sparky showed more intelligence than a normal animal when he seemed to be specifically grumbling back to Klaus when they were having conversations. It was meant to read and translate the lizard's brainwaves into english but she hadn't figured out how to place it on him without messing with his harness. 

 

It was only when they took Sparky in to get checked out by a vet who did a thorough checkup and was paid off afterward to keep his file to himself that she had thought of another alternative. She had heard of humans getting their dogs and cats chipped incase they got lost and the vet had explained that it was possible for Sparky as well. Fifteen minutes later and Sparky had a rice sized microchip in the back of his neck for additional protection. 

 

Now she was going to see if she could do the same thing for her translator after she made certain it worked. “So let's test this out shall we? What's your name?”

 

“Ugh, really you're going to give me something so simple a monkey could answer it?” The square microchip in her hand replies sarcastically. Grace narrows her eyes at the lizard in return and grabs the guiding remote from the bag with her other hand and places it next to her.

 

“Fine, fine. My official name is Sparkticulous Hargreaves but my more affectionate name is Sparky. My boy gave me this name soon after I was created and he gave me my official name after the big one said it was stupid. Of course after Klaus gave me my official name the big one claimed that it was stupider. Then I bit him on his ankle as Mateo laughed gleefully from his seat.”

 

“The big one?” Grace asked as she got out an antiseptic wipe from her bag.

 

“The tall annoying one you named Luther. He is often belittling my boy and I do not like it. Mateo and I seem to have worked out our differences and the creator lets me do as I please within reason. I think I like the girls the most, after my boy of course, because they scratch my belly. Diego and I don't interact much although I believe it's because he doesn't interact with Klaus in general.”

 

“I see. You'll have to practice not using it around other people. The children and I are fine but no one else can unless we know they're trustworthy.” She cuts open a slit on the back of his neck quickly and inserts the chip. She then walks over to the wall and pulls the monitor over and switches it on once she's seated. It's programmed to show what the chip is looking at so she can guide it through him and onto his brain easily.

 

“When exactly am I allowed to reveal to them that I can speak?”  He asks once she places the remote on the desk once more and turns the monitor off.

 

She puts her things away before answering and says that they'll do it after the tour of the school tomorrow. She watches as he leaves shortly after and unlocks her bottom left desk drawer to pull out a filing folder. She digs through the last slot in it and pulls out a picture with two babies in it wrapped in dirty blankets and one is quite bigger than the other. Flipping it over she sees her own neat writing on the back with:

Left: Vanya (7), Right: Klaus (4) .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to give her a heartfelt reason for becoming an entrepreneur and then I just decided her reasoning is "SHE'S A FUCKING BOSS!!" So yeah....
> 
> How'd you like those twists?? Sorry it's shorter!!


	10. Diego

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego and Five bond then everyone meets the principal and has a tour of the school.

Diego was throwing his knives at his targets again and avoiding the house. Well he wasn't avoiding the house itself, just Luther. Who had become even more annoying since moving than before which is something that he hadn't thought was possible. It had started with Allison talking to him even less after she made dad leave since she was choosing to spend more time with Vanya than with Luther. Then he had become even more unbearable when mom decided that Klaus and Ben should just share a bedroom and a bed once she realized there was no talking them into separate ones. It was seriously starting to get on Diego's nerves how much Luther would grumble about Klaus and Ben being disgusting when he thought no one else was listening. Diego takes a deep breath, arches a knife in the air and throws it on his exhale. It loops around a tree in front of him and whizzed passed him. It turned once more in the air behind him and fell on the ground beside him. 

 

“What are you doing?” He hears Five ask from behind him.

 

“Trying to figure out how to bring my knives back once they enter a body. So far I can just move them in the air repeatedly. Once they're in the target they're stuck, and before you ask no I couldn't do it when we were older. Although to be fair I had never tried to do it when we were older.”

 

“What made you try to do it now? How did you even think of it?” Five asks as he picks up the knife off the ground.

 

Diego lays down on the ground beside Five's feet and closes his eyes enjoying the warmth of the sun. “Been wanting to try it for awhile when we were older. Didn't have time though with making sure Klaus wasn't dead in a ditch and trying to stop bad guys without getting caught and now that we're restarting our lives I figured I had time to train differently the way I want to instead of how he wanted.”

 

He hears Five lay down beside him and hears the knife sink into the ground on the other side of them. “So what'd you come out here for?” Diego asks after a few minutes knowing Five always has a motive for interacting with any of them.

 

“We have that meeting with the principal today and I thought that there were some things we need to talk about before it.”

 

“You mean like how we're cousins?” Diego can practically hear the gears turning in Five's head and waits for them to stop moving before he explains. 

 

“Dad didn't just keep a journal of our abilities in his office. He kept updated family trees on each of us. I found mine and noticed you were on it so I started looking for the others too. Found Allison's then Luther's. Never got to finding Vanya and Klaus's though. Apparently our moms were sisters. Yours is older, while mine was the younger one.”

 

“Was?”

 

“Yeah she died according to the tree. Never looked into how.”

 

“Well maybe she's alive now. I mean we were older when you found it right? Maybe she's still alive now we're restarting in the past.”

 

“Yeah maybe.” Diego says halfheartedly unable to believe Five's words. He knows that life isn't always fair and not everyone gets happy endings.

 

“There… is another thing I wanted to tell you. I'm gonna go by the name mom gave me for school so that things aren't so weird. Trying to get used to it before school too so…. I'd appreciate it if you started calling me by it instead of Five so that I can.”

 

Diego opens his eyes and sits up watching a second later as the other boy does the same. “So…. Are we referring to each other as cousins now too?”

 

Five lets out a light laugh, “How did we get farther away from each other in a matter of seconds?”

 

“You didn't answer the question. Also I don't know what mom named you. You two kept it pretty hush hush.”

 

“If people ask then I guess we could.” Five replies slowly. Diego watches him pick up the knife and twirl it around in his fingers.

 

“Still waiting on that name cousin or do you want me to take that knife out of your hand for you to tell me?”

 

“Do it and we'll see which one of us is faster with a knife.” After another twirl of the knife he answered the other. “She named me Mateo Hargreaves.”

 

Diego let out a hearty laugh as he realized the irony in their names. They rhymed perfectly and Klaus was going to have so much fun with it. He could already imagine his brother making up silly songs and Ben and Allison trailing behind him giving him new alternatives. Vanya would give it a tune once it all came together and Klaus would sing it for a few days then some new thing would strike his interest.

 

“They rhyme, I know. Klaus is going to be an absolute nightmare when he finds out.”

 

“He has an entourage now.” Diego pointed out. Five let out a groan that Diego chuckled at.

 

They get up and head to the house in comfortable silence. They decide pretty quickly that they'll need help reigning Klaus in when the name reveal happens and head to find Ben for assistance.

 

“Do I atleast get to know what it is?” Ben asks once they find him and explain things.

 

“No.” They reply simultaneously.

 

“Fine, fine. I'll help. I love him but there's only so many Klaus songs I can handle.”

 

Mom takes them to the school soon after and they meet with the principal in a conference room with a long folding table. They sit in numerical order out of years of habit as mom and the principal speak about all of the renovations to the school that had been done and Diego is surprised to find out just how much there was. Apparently the art room had mold in it so they gutted it and redid the interior, added folding stands to the already updated gym, created a home-ec building where the agricultural one had been destroyed. The board decided to scrap the class after the collapse and called a vote for something new. The band room was expanded from the small basic classroom size it was to an actual hall and there were a few more bathrooms than before.

 

“So I think that's enough about business. Why don't we discuss the children. What are your names and powers? I'm honestly rather curious.”

 

Luther starts off stating his name and explaining that he has super strength. Diego goes next and explains that he can make any sharp object curve in the air and hit its mark and that he can also hold his breath indefinitely. He hears Allison explain her power and then Klaus explains that he can see and interact with the dead, has telekinesis and can communicate telepathically with Vanya.

 

“Vanya is?” The principal questions while roaming his eyes over all of them. Diego watches as Vanya raises her hand slightly and the principal widens his eyes in slight awe. “Is it just you two that are telepathic with each other?”

 

“Yes. Vanya and Klaus are twins so they share the ability. Whereas Mateo and Diego are cousins. The rest have no relations to each other.” Their mom cuts in quickly and calmly.

 

“I see. Well as long as it doesn't interfere with your studies then it should be fine. Now I believe we were going on to you mister…?”

 

“Mateo.” Five lets out defeatedly as Klaus bursts out in fits of laughter with an evil gleam in his eyes. Diego hears Ben whisper from across the table that he can't help them with Klaus and he sighs with defeat knowing the next few days are going to be horrible.

 

The tour of the school happens soon enough and Diego starts looking for potential entrances and exits out of habit and sees Luther doing the same. He spots a janitor closet at the end of the top floor of the school that he figures must have been from before the rebuild since it's a ways away from the classrooms and knows it's going to be hell for weirdos and perfect for bullies later on in the year.

 

They get lists of potential classes  and a list of after school clubs available once they're done. Diego scans the clubs and immediately knows he's going to try and get into archery if mom will let him to see if he's good at it. He looks over to Five once they're in the van and finds he's found a highlighter from somewhere and is highlighting potential classes and clubs. Klaus announces to everyone that he's going into art and home-ec, Allison says she's interested in debate club, Vanya isn't sure if she should do music or not until Ben says he's going in it to get better at the piano. 

 

Allison then points out that they've been practicing on Vanya's control and that her meds are doing what they're supposed to so if she wants to do music then she should. Vanya asks Mateo if he has another highlighter and he passes a purple one over to her. Band is highlighted on her sheets promptly after. Luther says he's going to try out for the football team and mom reminds him about his strength and Luther rolls his eyes at her which the others see from the rearview mirror. Two sharp pencils mysteriously find themselves embedded in Luther's legs afterwards and Diego and Mateo share a look from behind Luther in the backseat as the other boy cries out in pain.

 

“Boys!” Grace reprimands them quickly.

 

“Wait does this mean we get to call Five Mateo from now on?! Guys seriously do we?! Oh! I feel a song coming on…. Diego and Mateo…. Dammit I can't think of anything. Vanya help me!” Klaus says loudly to all of them over Luther's annoying grumbling.

 

The entire car groans as Vanya and Klaus think up words for their annoying song and soon Allison joins in on the word search. Mom turns on the radio to try to drown them out to some country song and Ben presses his head against a window looking like he'd rather be anywhere but here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think from now on I'm going to refer to Five as Mateo in the story but for his chapters I'll label them as Mateo (5) so that it's easy to remember.


	11. Luther

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luther is an asshole and does a horrible thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:: homophobia, transphobia, sibling abuse, sibling isolation

Luther was getting tired of Klaus not remembering his place in the family. It was rather annoying seeing him snuggle up to the monster or the other freak. He had no issues with Diego and Allison using their powers. Five, he refused to call him by his other name, was just annoying in general but Luther couldn't exactly do anything about him. Vanya and Ben though? Personally he thought they should be locked up and the keys thrown away.

 

What was even more annoying was that he couldn't get Klaus away from any of them. It seemed like he was constantly around Vanya or Ben and if not them then he and Allison were bonding over clothes or some shit. Allison was looking more fondly at Klaus now than she was at him. He normally let his frustrations out when he was working out unfortunately mom had called a family meeting for them to see Klaus's new project he did at school.

 

They had only been going for a week but Klaus's art teacher had apparently assigned for him to draw their family as objects. It honestly looked like two pictures in one as he was looking at it. It was a black and white dotted beach. The first thing his eyes were pulled to was the bit of colored ocean that had a black jacket laying flat on its surface with some weird black spiral book by it, underneath it there was a giant octopus outline reaching out for the jacket with glowing orange eyes which was obviously supposed to be Ben.

 

On the sand part there were two old walkie talkies in the middle standing side by side, the left one had a violin above the speaker and the right had a skull on it which according to Klaus signified him and Vanya. There was a knife stuck in the sand a few inches away from them with a gold police badge propped on it that signified Diego and a pink sequined top with a knife pinned in it that was similar to Diego's was supposed to represent Five. Sparky's harness was laying halfway on the sand and the other half in the water of the ocean. Mom was featured as a red monopoly building piece that was in a yellow cupcake like a candle. Allison was a broken old bear on a thick folder with papers sticking out of it which Luther didn't understand at all but knew that she was crying over it so it must have some meaning to her.

 

He kept scanning the picture for whatever represented him and didn't find anything. He was officially pissed and done with everyone in this stupid family as they all praised Klaus for his excellent work of art and said how they couldn't wait for more when none of them had noticed he was missing. Not even Allison had noticed because she was to busy crying over some stupid bear. He left the room just as Klaus was saying he wasn't done with it yet and mom asked if they could frame it in the living room once he was.

 

They all went to school and Luther was still pissed that not even gym helped release his frustrations. His new friends Derek and Adam, who were also on the football team with him, had noticed and asked him what was wrong.

 

“My brother is annoying and everyone else forgot how pathetic and worthless he is and they're now singing his praises.”

 

“Why is he so pathetic?” “Yeah is it an overall patheticness or a specific reason?” His friends asked as they walked down the hall to their next class. Thankfully Luther had most of his classes with them which is how they met and almost none with his siblings.

 

“He used to be a druggie and dad wouldn't put up with his bullshit but he's gone now so everyone has conveniently forgotten that. Plus there's the fact that he isn't even a boy and he's in love with a monster.” 

 

“You mean that he's trans? What's wrong with that?” Adam asks glancing at his friend.

 

“You mean other than it's disgusting and unnatural?”

 

Adam speeds up ahead and stops in front of Luther with his face full of rage. Derek stands next to Adam in defiance and looks hurt.

 

“Dude my sister is trans so maybe don't be a transphobic asshole? She's been out for awhile and isn't afraid for people to know. I just don't like to tell people unless it's necessary because it's not my thing to tell but apparently it's necessary for you to know since you can't even stand your own brother being trans. Consider yourself uninvited to my house this weekend or further notice at all until you get that your bullshit isn't the only important stuff and that there's nothing wrong with living your truth.”

 

“Unless they're a pedophile or something and are you seriously judging them because they're gay?” Derek adds onto the other's rant.

 

Neither wait for Luther to answer as they turn around and walk into class without him. He's pretty sure he just lost his only friends in this place and ignores the teacher's lesson in favor of remembering how they met. It had been Luther's first day and after he escaped their fans outside he was grateful when his first class started and the teacher said he'd be just like any other student in the room. After a few classes during the day he noticed the two boys were always seated by each other and it reminded him of Klaus and Ben. Adam had strange white hair that reminded him of a cloud and odd green eyes, that Luther later found out were contacts, with charcoal skin. Derek was the exact opposite with his red hair and blue eyes and freckled sun kissed skin.

 

He found out that Adam kept his hair white but would typically have it as locks instead of his natural curls but decided against it for that day. He learned the odd colors were his way of rejecting his ironically white name and that he wanted to change it to Jalen for his birthday next month and almost had enough money to pay for it himself but that his parents had offered to pay for it once he expressed interest and that he had their full support to do so. Kevin kept his hair buzzed and was from a military family so they were always moving but they had been here for a couple years now. His parents had decided to stay once they realized how good it was for all of them. 

 

Luther had been invited to Adam's house after the first day and had met his sister a couple times during the visit. She wasn't as eccentric as Derek with his strange colors but she did wear odd outfits and had purple streaks in her naturally curled hair. She would often wear bright colors and make her lips match whatever the boldest color on her was. After the third visit he found out that she was a sophomore, had a boyfriend named Boyd and that her name was Imani.

 

Derek and Adam almost always wore matching leather jackets that had a large bee patch on the back that read Save the Bees with a fluffy bee on it in the middle. They each had different patches on the front of them as well commemorating things they enjoyed. Similar hand painted honeycomb rings adorned their thumbs on their right hands. Adam's ring was painted purple, black and white with the natural silver of the ring in the middle and Derek's was painted both dark and light green, white, with silver in the middle and ended in black.

 

His friends ignored him after the bell rang and he watched them leave the room without so much as glancing back. Luther was furious. It was all Klaus's fault too. If he had just put him in that stupid picture with the others then none of this would've happened but he didn't and now he needed to learn a lesson. His locker was right across the hall from his current class so he put his books up and waited for Klaus knowing he'd have to come to his locker before headed to his next class anyway. Since they were in alphabetical order by last then first name his and Klaus's were right by each other on the bottom row since sixth graders got the lower ones and seventh got up top and eighth grade lockers were on the bottom floor.

 

Unfortunately the lockers themselves were to small for Klaus to fit in without breaking his bones but Luther knew of another excellent place to shove him in for awhile. He'd get him out once he came back from practice after school. He waited until the other boy put his things away in his locker and told him that he had something to show him really quickly that he thought Klaus would enjoy. Ever eager to interact with his siblings Klaus follows willingly until they pass all of the classrooms and the bell rings signaling they’re late.

 

“Uh, Luther maybe we could look later? I have to go to art. Ms. Belov has us finishing our projects today and I'm almost done. I just need to color a few things and then mom said she wants to frame it. We're supposed to go shopping for the frame after school.”

 

Luther rolls his eyes at the boy's happiness before remembering an integral factor in his plan. Vanya and Klaus could alert and find each other.

 

“Vanya can't hear you right now right?”

 

“No. We block each other at school. Why?”

 

Luther smirks instead of answering and picks him up to carry him under his arm towards their destination. Klaus lets out a yelp and tries to squirm out of his grip but Luther uses a bit of his super strength to hold him still.

 

Klaus starts squirming even more and pleading with him once he realizes where they're going. Luther ignores him as he opens the abandoned closet door and tosses him inside it making sure to lock it from the inside knowing Klaus won't go near the door once it's closed. The last thing he sees before closing the door and heading off to his next class is Klaus pleading with him to not leave him here and watches momentarily as the boy's breathing becomes heavier than normal.

 

“Relax. I'll come get you after practice. Just stay here and keep quiet until then.” He replies to the frantic boy just as he encases him in almost complete darkness with the only light being from the crack underneath the door.

* * *

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was screaming at myself when writing this so you should too.
> 
> I don't know if Adam and Derek will make a return or not honestly.
> 
> Klaus's drawing meaning::
> 
> Ben:: his jacket with a english syllabus beside it and Oren in the water, syllabus means he wants to be an English teacher
> 
> Vanya and Klaus: walkie talkies signifying they're twins
> 
> Diego: Knife for his power and badge meaning he still wants to be a cop
> 
> Mateo: Pink top for Dolores and knife similar to Diego's meaning they're cousins
> 
> Sparky: Harness on water and sand meaning he comes from Oren but is Klaus's pet
> 
> Grace: monopoly piece topper meaning he recognizes she's a business woman and a cupcake showing she's still their mom
> 
> Allison: Claire's future/old favorite teddy bear on top of a folder with client information because she wants to be a lawyer
> 
> Luther: Wasn't done yet because he wasn't sure what to put.
> 
>  Honestly not sure where to immediately go from here or who's POV I want it from.  
> Thoughts?


	12. Diego - Mateo (5) - Adam/Jalen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diego bonds with Klaus then realizes Klaus is missing, Mateo and Vanya bond, Adam/Jalen and Derek come to the rescue.
> 
>  
> 
> Or: Mom and Allison are PISSED after Klaus is found, every else is too but they're especially angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided that Adam/Jalen and Derek will be featured more because I enjoy them.

End of first hour of lock in

 

Diego had just gotten out of his math class and went to wait outside the art room for Klaus like he had done since they started that Monday. He liked to walk Klaus from art to gym and listen as the other boy spoke animatedly about what he did that day. It felt like he had his brother back and he loved it. Never wanted it to w d if he was being honest with himself.

 

He honestly couldn't remember the last time Klaus got excited over something. It was most likely before Ben died. Before Klaus resorted to drugs to stop his pain and drown everything else out. Diego had been the one to help Klaus figure out what objects to use for their family. He had already chosen Ben's but had been nervous about Diego's piece.

 

_ “So you know my art project I told you about? The one where we have to draw our family members as objects.” Klaus had asked him while clutching the piece to his chest protectively in its paper towel roll. _

 

_ “Yeah why?” _

 

_ “Well…. I already did Ben's or I know what I'm going to do. It's not done yet. I know what I want to do for Vanya and I too. It's gonna be walkie talkies beside each other and hers is gonna have a violin on it while mine has a skull because you know….” Diego watched as Klaus motioned with his hands while he talked and whispered out: “I see dead people.” _

 

_ Diego burst out laughing and knew that they'd have to plan to watch the sixth sense again soon because it was ironically Klaus's favorite movie. He said it made him feel more normal even if it wasn't actually real and that with the power of imagination it could be. _

 

_ “Okay so what are you nervous about then?” He asked as they reached his locker which was the last in the row. Klaus leaned up against the one in front of his and looked hesitant to answer. _

 

_ “You brought it up dude.” He replied casually as he saw the look on his brother's face. _

 

_ “I know! Fine. I was gonna do a knife for you because obviously but then she said we could use online sources today so we have references and I found a bear that I'm gonna ruin in the drawing for Allison to represent Claire and then I remembered that she said she was wanting to be a lawyer this time. So then I looked up stuff lawyers carry around typically you know, like briefcases and stuff. So at first I was gonna have the bear be sticking out of the case but then it looked stupid in my head and I figured that they use folders for their client info right? So I figured alright I'll do a folder but I didn't want it to look to thin and have her think I thought she'd be bad at it so I made it bigger and have papers peek out of it with the broken bear sitting on it.” Klaus paused his rambling for breathes of air and Diego smiled at him. _

 

_ “So what does Allison's piece have to do with mine? I mean a knife is fine for me dude.” _

 

_ “No it's not! I don't want to put you down as just your power and have everyone else be something more that's stupid! So I thought about what you'd want to be when we grow up…. again, and I remembered you said you wanted to be a cop but you got kicked out of the academy so I was wondering if you still wanted to or if you wanted me to draw something else. Also why did you get kicked out?”  _

 

_ Diego watched as Klaus's eyes widened once he realized what he asked and realized he probably didn't want to talk about it. “You don't have to answer that if you don't want to D.” _

 

_ “It's okay. I don't mind. Not sure you're gonna like the answer though.” Diego responded fondly. Klaus looked at him quizzically but didn't respond so he continued.  _

 

_ “It was about you. It was one of the first times you landed in jail and the academy had heard about it. Couple of guys were laughing about how one of the Hargreaves boys was such a fuck up and how dad should just let you rot in there. I got pissed, landed a few punches and got kicked out. Afterwards any time I heard a druggie OD'd I raced to the scene as fast as I could to see if it was you. Hoping it wasn't you.” _

 

_ “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry.” _

 

_ Diego wiped his tears away quickly and smiled at the boy hating the look of anguish on his face. “It's okay. Now tell me about the others. What are you gonna do for mom and Sparky?” _

 

_ “Oh well that's easy mom is gonna be a lemon cupcake with a red monopoly building piece on top like a candle and Sparky is gonna be his harness but it's gonna be on the sand and in the water since he came from Oren but he's my pet now.” _

 

_ “Why lemon? I mean I get the monopoly piece since mom is becoming a kick ass business woman but why a lemon cupcake?” _

 

_ “First it was for her hair but then I remembered how sweet lemons can be but they also have a tangy taste. So they're kinda like a mom they're nice most of the time but can get mad too and Five, sorry Mateo is gonna have….” _

 

“--reaves. Mr. Hargreaves? Diego!” A voice yells at him and he feels himself shaking lightly.

 

“Huh? Yeah?” He asked the air around him as Ms. Belov comes into focus.

 

“Are you alright dear?” She asks very obviously concerned that he wasn't responding to her previously. 

 

“Yeah I'm fine. Sorry just… got caught up thinking. Is Klaus here?”

 

“No I'm sorry he's not.”

 

“Oh. I must have just missed him then. Thanks!” He goes to turn around and is stopped by Ms. Belov's hand on his arm.

 

“No I mean he wasn't in class today. It's odd he's almost always the first one in and he missed the entire class today. Do you know if he wasn't feeling well and maybe your mom came to get him?”

 

“No I don't think so. Why do you ask?”

 

“Well I saw him talking to Luther earlier and when he didn't come in I thought he got sick or something and Luther called your mom.”

 

Diego couldn't breathe, logically he knew he could and that even if he wasn't then it wasn't an issue for him but currently he felt like he had been punched in his gut. Klaus was missing. Klaus didn't go to art which was his favorite class. The last theoretical person to see him had been Luther who was across campus at the moment heading to the computer lab for his typing class. He also knows that he can't head out and look for Klaus himself because he has literature to get to which was close to the gym.

 

So he decides the next best course of action and grabs his phone out of his pocket once he's on his way to class and sends out a sibling group text:  **KLAUS IS MISSING. NOT A DRILL.**

 

Beginning of second hour of lock in

 

Mateo walks into third period biology and sees Vanya already at their table. They were seated in teams of two at their lab tables and he may or may not actually have this specific class at this specific hour. He may or may not have got together with Ben after realizing they had the exact same schedules just at different class times: for instance technically Mateo was supposed to be in gym at the moment when Ben was supposed to be in this class. 

 

Technically Mateo has biology for fourth period whereas Ben also has gym with Vanya. Then he and Ben have advanced math together for fifth. It honestly isn't his fault that Ben has almost all of his classes with Vanya. It also isn't his fault that he has most of his classes with Klaus. So upon realizing their predicament they may or may not have switched schedules and the teachers may have caught on pretty quickly to their scheme but didn't say anything once they realized both the boys were basically intellectual rivals.

 

After the principal found out and made them switch back however the boys retaliated in class. Ben may have asked Oren to create a two headed snake when he was asked to stay in his seat in English right after the switch. Mateo may have portaled to on top of the filing cabinet and wouldn't get off right after the switch either. They both got detention but the teachers agreed to let them keep the other's schedule as long as they stopped their antics. The snake was named Archimedes after the guy that created pi and was now the math classes mascot. 

 

So now Mateo was enjoying biology with Vanya and realizing just how smart she really was. Math was his forte but science was Vanya's. He often found himself glancing over at her book and finding her at least two pages ahead of where everyone else was at and would have to backtrack when the teacher asked her to read aloud. Mateo hears his and Vanya's phones vibrate lightly and chooses to ignore it knowing it's not important tandem instead focuses on interacting with his favorite person.

 

“So are you going to go back to the violin later on?” He asks her when they are working on a worksheet. He was halfway through with his and Vanya was already done.

 

“I'm not sure considering how much of a mess I was before with it.”

 

“It wasn't your fault.” “Seriously it wasn't.” He repeats as Vanya looks at him like he's lost his mind.

 

“If anything it was dad's for not training you and then lying to you. If you want to pursue music as a career then you should but just because you're good at it doesn't mean you have to go into it. Allison is working to be a lawyer this time isn't she?”

 

“Yeah she's joined the debate team already. Her first meet is at the end of the month. I just…. What if I do violin and no one comes to my recitals again?”

 

“Please,” Mateo scoffs at her, “Allison and I would be front row and in the center. Klaus would be all the way up top with weird signs that he'd hold up and Ben would be right beside him trying to hide until you look for him and then he'd jump up and wave so you know he's there. Diego would be holding up a sign of his own making fun of Klaus's sign somehow and mom would be backstage helping with the others costumes or something.”

 

“Luther wouldn't come. I'm pretty sure he hates me.”

 

“Who cares about Luther?” 

 

“He's our brother.”

 

“He's an ass and he locked you up when literally everyone else was telling him not to. Seriously say the word and I shoot him in his kneecaps. Diego would help me except he would use a knife.”

 

Mateo smiles at her awkwardly like he hasn't done it in awhile and only smiles wider as she beams back at him.

 

“Thanks but I feel like I have to remind you that guns are bad Mattie.”

 

“Mattie?” He asks her with raised eyebrows confused about the odd name.

 

“Mateo is to long.” Shs offers as explanation like it was obvious.

 

“Mattie is longer than Mateo. It's literally a letter longer.” He let out an exasperated sigh knowing he was fighting a losing battle.

 

“Shut up, I like it.” Vanya sticks her tounge out at him in jest and he laughs in return.

 

“Only you though.”

 

“That's right. Anyone else gets a knife stuck in their hand.”

 

“Really?” Mateo asks hopefully.

 

“No you doofus.” She giggles at him and lightly smacks his arm.

 

“Aw.” He replies in mock annoyance.

 

“Matts, Teo, Tilapia.” She tries out names that he can only assume to be weird potential nicknames for him.

 

“The last one is a fish you dork.”

 

“Just keeping you on your toes.” Wiggling her eyebrows at him.

  
  


He sighs at her and decides to check his phone since they only have a couple minutes of class left and sees it's from Diego.

 

_ Slash attack:  _ **KLAUS IS MISSING. NOT A DRILL.**

 

“Vanya we have to go now.”

 

“Bell hasn't rung yet.”

 

“Check your phone.”

 

He watches as she goes to her messages and notices her name for Diego is  _ Detective Stabs _ and almost wants to roll his eyes at the irony until he realizes it isn't much better than his own contact name for the guy. She runs out of the class seconds later and doesn't stop when the teacher calls for her to.

 

“Klaus is missing. Gotta go. Bye!” He yells out and goes to catch up to Vanya once he sees her sprinting down the hall towards wherever she thinks Klaus may be.

 

Beginning of third hour of lock in

 

Adam and Derek made their way to art class for fourth hour when they looked down the hallway and see a strange green glow coming from the abandoned janitor’s closet at the end of the hall.

 

“What do you think it is? Before you say anything it's not an alien bee babe!” Adam raises his hand up to his goofy boyfriend's lips only to have it licked a second later. Derek loved the paranormal and aliens and stuff like ghost hunting.

 

“Fine it's obviously a radioactive zombie that got sting by an alien bee.” Adam rolls his eyes at him as he wipes his hand off on his pants. He's to used to the other reacting childishly to cause a stink over it.

 

They go over to the closet and completely ignore the bell as they open it only to find it locked.

 

“Great it locks from the inside.” Derek pouts in annoyance. 

 

“Hold on.” Adam says as he pulls off his jacket and pulls up the collar to reveal a small velcro pouch sewn underneath it on his back. He opens it up and retrieves a blue folding lock pick set.

 

“When did you do that? Also genius spot for it.”

 

“Thanks. Thought of it after we broke into the cemetery last month and heard crying in that creepy mausoleum. Thought it may come in handy later on and now it has, or will once I unlock this door.”

 

Adam gets to work and seconds later the door lets out a faint click letting them know that it's unlocked. He slides the kit in his pocket and turns to his boyfriend looking him in the eyes and calmly tells him: “If we get caught I'm blaming you because you're white.”

 

“That's fair. They've been stereotypically proven to go easier on me than you in the past when we did stupid things. Pretty sure our parents are catching on though.”

 

“Soooo we gonna open this or?” Adam asks thinking the other doesn't want to go through with it.

 

“Okay if you don't open that door then we're breaking up and that would be a shame since we've only been dating for three months and it would probably wreck our friendship too.”

 

Adam opens the door quietly and they peer in to see a skinny kid with blondish-brown hair pressing themselves as close to the corner of the room as possible. He hears Derek gasp as he notices the scratches on the kid's arms and wonders if they were self-inflicted or not then sees the skull necklace hanging from their neck quickly realizing that that's what was glowing underneath the door.

 

End of lock in

 

“Hey there, um I'm Derek. You wanna get out of there? We can bring you to the nurse for your arms and then have them call your parents if you want.” Derek's voice goes low like he's trying to console a small child and in this instance Adam thinks he is. Nevermind the fact that the kid is probably the same age as them, the air about him makes him seem younger right now.

 

They watch as the kid, a boy judging from his face and haircut, nods with tears streaming down his face and clutching a paper towel roll to his chest. The skull necklace bounces lightly at the movement and continues to let off a faint glow when in the darkness. It makes Adam think of Luther's arrowhead necklace and he remembers the boy saying his sister got them all different kinds that represented them somehow for their brother. He was afraid of the dark even at thirteen and the sister thought them all having lights on them at all times would help him. He had told them who had which ones too when they asked.

 

Derek seems to remember who was what before he does as he helps the boy out of the closet. “You're Klaus Hargreaves right? Luther's brother.” He asks the boy gently. Neither miss the very visible flinch the boy gives off at Luther's name.

 

“Gonna take that as a yes then. Come on let's get you to the nurse okay. She needs to look at your arms.” Adam steps in and helps steady the boy so they can get him there safely and watches as he tries to scratch. Derek gently grabs the arm near him preventing him from doing so and they make their way down the stairs and to the nurses office.

 

Once there she instructs Klaus to sit on the new table, apparently an anonymous donor had paid for the nurse to have all new high end equipment when everything else was getting redone. The same donor also paid for any new medical supplies the school needed too, or at least that's what the rumors said. The kid seemed to zone out once the nurse started working on him and they hear a faint buzzing coming from his back pocket which Adam assumes is his phone. Klaus seems to realize it too as he pulls it out and frowns at it.

 

“Want me to reply to them?” Adam asks assuming the incoming texts are from his other siblings. Klaus nods at him slowly and he gently takes the phone and glances at the screen:

 

_ (16) D. Slasher _

_ (20) Vany-twin _

_ (18) Bentacles _

_ (18) Mate-lapia _

_ (16) Alli-siren _

 

“Jesus fuck.” He lets out as he looks at the screen. Derek whistles as he looks over his shoulder at the phone and the nurse says she didn't just hear him curse as she tells them she's informing the principal and calling Klaus's mom.

 

Derek grabs a juice box out of the small fridge under the desk and tries to get Klaus to drink some as Adam sends out a mass text to the siblings:

 

**This is Adam, found Klaus locked in a storage closet. At the nurse now. Wounds are bandaged. My boyfriend is trying to get him to drink something and we think Luther did it. Told nurse who just went to inform principal and call your mom.**

 

**P.S. Used to be Luther's friends but now we're not and told him we weren't before we found Klaus because he's a transphobic asshole.**

 

**P.P.S. Meant Luther is an asshole not Klaus.**

 

It doesn't take long for the siblings to be crowded in the nurse's office and making sure Klaus is alright. Adam's pretty positive Vanya and Ben are wearing contacts because their eyes are a glowing blue and yellow respectively and he wants to say that he thinks it's awesome but they pass him up and envelop Klaus in a hug before he gets the words out.

 

He watches as the other two boys stand guard outside and is told they're Diego and Mateo while the other girl, Allison, comes up to them and thanks them for helping and finding him. While she sounds sweet and sincere her eyes and face show a fury that Adam knows he does not want to cross and is immediately terrified for whatever she plans to do to Luther knowing it's going to be brutal.

 

He and Derek start to leave until Klaus asks them to stay and says he wants to get to know them if they're okay with it and Derek pulls up a chair without even glancing at Adam to see what he wants to do and is telling Klaus about his weird alien stories. Klaus actually seems to be even more into it than Derek is  if Vanya and Ben's fond yet mildly annoyed looks are anything to go by. Mateo and Diego come in eventually and add to the conversation every now and then. 

 

Allison asks him what kind of hair products he uses to keep his hair white and they all chat and laugh about different things until the nurse comes back with the principal and Ms. Hargreaves who somehow looks extremely angry and also extremely worried at the same time. Luther is behind them and from what Adam can see is glaring holes into his mother's back with how annoyed he is that he has to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could've totally made this three chapters but didn't. You're welcome. 
> 
> To the person that said I should make Adam/Jalen and Derek date: They are now.
> 
> To the person that wanted Mateo and Vanya fluff/bonding: Are you satisfied for now? Look what we had to go through to get here!!


	13. Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Actions have consequences. Grace and Luther learn just what those consequences are.

Grace is at at her new pet shop across town making sure the countertops get placed correctly when she gets the call that she needs to come to the school immediately. She doesn't get told why. It takes her ten minutes to get there thinking the entire time that one of them is dead, again and she knows now that she has access to her emotions that she won't be able to handle it.

 

She gets to the principal's office and Luther and the nurse are already there. The nurse explains that Klaus was locked in a janitor’s closet for two hours according to the boys that found him and when Luther said he put him in it. Rage doesn't even begin to explain how angry she is at the boy. Anguish doesn't even begin to explain how sorry she is for both of them, for Klaus having to go through this again, for not seeing that Luther needs help. 

 

She doesn't even know  _ how  _ to help him. He's already in therapy and he has complete control over his powers. His powers aren't the issue though because she knows that this isn't really Luther. Knows that some part of Reginald seeped into him throughout the years of favoritism and lectures on being the best. Years of watching him do this exact same thing to Klaus when he acted up. Knew that Luther was just emulating what he had seen his entire life and that it wasn't his fault. Except it was because actions have consequences. 

 

_ Actions have consequences.  _ She repeats in her head as the nurse tells her that child protective services have been called. She repeats it again as CPS comes in twenty minutes later and is told that their biological mothers will be tracked down and asked if they want custody of the children instead of her because obviously something is wrong in their home life. She keeps repeating it as she's told by the principal that Luther will be expelled and not allowed to return because if he can do that to his own brother then he's a danger to the other students as well. As she's told that she can press charges against Luther for harming Klaus. That they've contacted the police because of it and they'll be here soon.

 

She doesn't cry, not yet. She doesn't cry as she's walking to Klaus and can feel Luther's glare behind her. She doesn't cry when she finally reaches Klaus and sees him laughing with the others and the two boys she knew as Luther's friends. She doesn't cry as the police come a few minutes later and ask if she wants to press charges and the children ask what's going on and why would she. She doesn't cry when she declines and says they'll be kept separated.

 

She ushers them all into the car and refuses to tell them what's going on because she knows that if she opens her mouth then what comes out won't be words. She holds herself together long enough to drive them home, makes them all go inside and the second she sees the front door close she bawls her eyes out and breaks knowing that there's  _ nothing  _ she can do to stop what's to come.

 

The next morning after the other kids are at school and it's just she and Luther she gets a bucket and rag out of the laundry room and fills it with hot soapy water with the rag in it. She debates on getting Luther and dragging him out. Deciding to do just that when he comes out himself and she hands him the bucket.

 

“Take out all the pots and pans and clean inside all the cabinets. Then you're going to take everything off the cabinets on top and scrub them down too. Once you're done with that you're going to rinse the bucket out and fill it back up with water and pine sol and mop all the floors. It should take you a couple hours and afterwards I'll check and if it's not done correctly then you'll redo it until it is.”

 

“Why am I doing this?” He asks as he walks to the cabinet and puts the bucket down.

 

“You're doing this because actions have consequences and this is part of the consequence! You're doing this because I don't know how else to help you Luther! You're already in therapy! I don't know what else to do!” She screams at him from across the room.

 

“This is stupid.” She hears Luther say under his breath.

 

“I'm sorry what did you just say to me?”

 

“I said this is stupid! I didn't even do anything wrong!” He yells at her.

 

“You locked your brother in a closet for two hours!! How is that not doing anything wrong?!”

 

“Because Dad used to do the same thing when we were growing up! Any time Klaus got to annoying he'd get put in the mausoleum! He'd do it for entire weekends at least I was gonna go get him out after school!”

 

“Which is  _ exactly  _ why he isn't here and the fact that you don't even see that as a horrible thing says  _ wonders  _ about my parenting!”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

 

“It's wrong Luther! Locking someone away is abuse! It's torture actually! It's a war technique that's used to get information out of the enemy or to make them more compliant!” Grace's voice starts cracking as tears fall down her face.

 

“Dad would've agreed with me.” Luther huffs out.

 

Grace scoffs and rolls her eyes at the boy deciding that they are leaving the kitchen any time soon so she sits in a chair.

 

“Of course he would.” She replies catching her breath.

 

“What's  _ that _ supposed to mean?”

 

“It means that you're putting the wrong parent on a pedestal son. You weren't put under the same pressure as the others. You weren't locked up or forced to stay in a room with toxic air or hurt when you did something he didn't like. You were his favorite because you always did what he asked. Without question no matter what.” She says calmly and watches as Luther tensely sits on the opposite side of the table apparently not wanting to stand any longer.

 

“Of course I did. I was his number one and now I'm not even on Klaus's stupid drawing.”

 

Recognition and anger flash in Grace's eyes as she realizes why he punished Klaus. Knowing that she'll yell at him some more if she brings up the drawing she decides to discuss the boy's father instead. 

 

“You were number one because you were the most malleable and the weakest compared to the others. Your numbers corresponded to how much you obeyed him without questioning his intentions and how powerful you were if you got angry or upset. It's why he stopped training Vanya when she wouldn't listen.”

 

“No. I mean I know he was messed up but he still loved us.” Luther's voice started shaking as he got upset again.

 

“He didn't love you. He named you numbers to tell you apart. He didn't kiss you when you fell or teach you how to walk. You had nannies for that. Even after I came in he didn't even acknowledge you when you wanted to say goodnight to him. You were experiments to him and nothing more Luther. He left you on the moon for four years with so much as a thought. He made you knock Ben out during that mission knowing it would ultimately kill him. Knowing that the monster in him would take over and he wouldn't be saved. You even asked him afterwards if he knew and he said yes. Yet you still didn't question it. He would rather have one of you killed than defy him and he did.” Grace watches as the boy's lip quivers as he starts to cry. Watching as reality sets in for him.

 

“I'm the one that cared about you. I gave you names and kisses. I tucked you in at night and read you stories. I'm the one that loved you and now I'm going to lose you because they're going to take you away.”

 

“But I… I thought they'd give us a choice? You know live with our biologicals or live with you?” 

 

“You will get a choice: If those women want you then you live with them without being asked if it's what you want and if they don't then you'll be placed in foster care and most likely separated. The twins may be kept together since they're siblings but even that's unlikely.” She waits a few seconds to continue hoping the information sinks in for him.

 

“As far as Klaus not putting you in the picture? It wasn't done and he said so when he was showing us-”

 

“-But he had everyone else done!” Luther cuts in yelling at her once more.

 

“He did but he didn't know what to put for you. He didn't want to just put you as your power and wasn't sure what your plans were for in the future. He was going to ask you when you got home yesterday.” She watches as guilt and shame washes over the boy and pours out of him in waves.

 

“What do I…. How do I stop it from happening?”

 

“You can't sweetheart. All we can do now is get you better. I think you need anger management so I'm setting up an appointment for you tomorrow.”

 

“I don't need anger management and I'm not going. I'm not sick.” He replies stubbornly.

 

“You got angry because Klaus didn't put you in a drawing and then thought the best course of action was to stick him in a dark closet for more than two hours knowing he's extremely afraid of the dark. You do need anger management and you are going. Just because you aren't sick physically doesn't mean that you aren't emotionally or mentally and it doesn't mean it's not real or that it isn't an issue. You just need help darling and I'm offering that.”

 

“No, I'm not. I'll apologize to Klaus. I know it was wrong to do that and I won't do it again but I'm not doing anything else.”

 

“Fine. You want tough love? I'll give you tough love. You either go to anger management as well as therapy to work on your issues or you don't live in this house. I'll buy a small house and place it on the property. Your bills and food will be paid for but you will never enter or speak to anyone else in this house again. If you need something then you will message me. If you need a permission slip signed for school then you will place it in the mailbox in an envelope addressed to me. You'll be going to a military school for your education and won't be able to transfer anywhere. Once you turn sixteen you'll get a job as well as still attending school and will pay for any extracurricular activities or field trips you may have. Once you turn eighteen you'll pay all your bills by yourself and get your inheritance. After that you're on your own and we stop communicating all together. How does that sound?”

 

“You can't stop them from talking to me.”

 

“I won't have to. They'll do that all on their own. Now you want to be a part of this family? Own up to your shit and get the help offered to you or you won't be.”

 

“Okay. Fine. Schedule the appointment.” He replies brokenly.

 

Grace nods as he gets up to start cleaning and she figures they're done talking for now. She goes into her office to make some calls to see if anyone in anger management is available for Luther. Then calls his therapist for referrals and to bump up his appointment with her and explains what happened yesterday. She calls Klaus's therapist and get him in for tomorrow as well. Once it's all said and done it's an hour later and she walks out to the kitchen to find it spotless and finds Luther mopping the living room first.

 

“Is there a reason you started in the middle of the house?”

 

“I figured biggest room first and then realized my mistake so now I have to do it twice since I'll be walking through it again.”

 

“Or you could just pause and come eat some ice cream that's in the fridge. I think we have chocolate chip. It's your favorite.”

 

“You just yelled at me repeatedly, are making me mass clean and now you're offering me my favorite ice cream?”

 

“Yep. I yelled at you because you needed it. You're cleaning as your punishment and I figured you could use a break so I was offering ice cream. If you don't want it though then you can continue.”

 

“No I'll eat ice cream.” He says letting the mop fall to the floor. She smiles at him and gets the tub out while he gets a spoon and bowl out. She scoops out a healthy serving and sets it down as he puts the tub away.

 

“Are you sure there's nothing you can do to stop CPS from taking us away? Can't you get in contact with our biologicals or something? Maybe bring up the fact that he bought us from them?”

 

“Sweetheart you're a genius. Finish your ice cream and mopping then you can read a book or something. No tv. I'll be back soon. Love you.”

 

She goes to her office and grabs Vanya and Klaus's file. She hears Luther say he loves her as she reaches the front door and is in the car soon after. She makes her way to the school and calls to see if Yula is available to talk. The office worker says her lunch break is in a few minutes and can chat then if need be.

 

Grace makes it to the school fairly quickly and heads straight to the classroom catching Yula off guard. “Ms. Hargreaves I didn't expect to see you. Is everything alright?”

 

“No. I need your help. You said you were looking for your twins?”

 

“Yes but I don't see how they have anything with me helping you.”

 

“They do because your twins are now called Vanya and Klaus Hargreaves. They're my children and I'm hoping that you'll help me not have them taken away.” Grace explains the situation to Yula quicky and allows her to process what she's been told.

 

“So what do you want from me exactly? I can't be their mother. I was sixteen when I had them. I can't raise them. I just wanted to find them and be a part of their lives like an aunt or something.”

 

“I'm not asking you to but I won't be able to keep them once they find out I'm not human.”

 

“What do you mean you aren't human?” Grace opens her arm hatch and shows her circuits to the other. Watches as the other gasps and touches her arm feeling her fake skin.

 

“You're a... robot? ….How?”

 

“Reginald made me to take care of them. I couldn't go against him until recently which is why they have so many… issues. I was hoping that if we show that I have a human overseeing their health and wellbeing that they would allow me to keep them since they're in Reginald’s custody and not mine.”

 

“It is an odd situation but they aren't exactly normal children. Not to mention the fact that he bought them. My mother had told me that they went to an orphanage but I found out later on that she sold them to him. You'd think that the human trafficking issue would concern them more than an instance of sibling abuse. I'll help though on two conditions.”

 

“Alright. What are they?”

 

“One that we tell Vanya and Klaus together that I'm their biological mother before the court does, and two that they don't refer to me as mom. They can refer to me as Aunt Yula or Ms. Belov whichever they prefer but you are their mom and I'm not taking your place.”

 

Grace nods in acceptance. Thankful that she doesn't want to replace her and that she's willing to help. Shs only hopes that her plan works and she can use it to keep the others too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I did a Grace chapter so that Luther would work through his issues and acknowledge them.


	14. Vanya - Inside Mateo's head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanya worries about Mateo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smaller chapter but fluffy.

Vanya was the first one that sees the changes in Mateo. It's subtle at first, the lights flicker in the den one day as she passes Luther mass dusting in the living room as part of his punishment. On, off, on, off. Then she wakes up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water and sees him doing the same things to the night lights. On, off, on off goes one and then moves to the other repeating the process. She doesn't think anything of it until he and Ben get into a fight over how things go on the desk in their math room. 

 

Ben thinks they should go in the cup and Mateo agrees but in a certain way that's just so. It isn't until Ben storms out of the room in frustration that she starts to really watch and question it. She watches as he follows Luther around with a rag and another can of dusting spray and recleans what he's already done. Luther notices after awhile but does bring it up to mom choosing to grumble under his breath about it instead. 

 

She doesn't bring it up to the boy until they're all piled up in Ben and Klaus's room watching tv because they got the master bedroom. All of them besides Grace who is downstairs making phone calls to wherever and Luther who's been banned from going into their room, Klaus's art room, Sparky's room or being alone with Klaus at all even after he apologized. Mom told them all that until his anger management therapy and regular therapist say that he has proper coping techniques and understands which thoughts and actions are harmful to him and other people that the restrictions would be in place and followed. He'd also continue cleaning as punishment until she thinks he's learned his lesson and that the more he keeps asking if he's done is another week of him continuing it.

 

Vanya notices Mateo picking up odd things off the floor instead of enjoying the show. None of the others seem to notice as they're enjoying the program. Ben is literally laying across Klaus's chest per his request giving him enough room to see the tv while Allison and Diego are laying beside them on the family sized bed. Once Grace realized the boy's room was their preferred sibling hangout spot she sold their king for a family sized bed to fit more people. Mateo and Vanya are on the floor covered in blankets as it's their preference. Well she's covered in blankets, Mateo has wiggled out of his in favor of picking up.

 

“What are you doing?” She whispers to him trying to not disturb the others.

 

“Picking up this stuff.” He whispers back.

 

“Why?”

 

“It's dirty.”

 

She goes back to watching the movie after that and notices when he leaves a few minutes later. She debates on following him until Allison calls her up to the bed and she concedes. The other girl sits up and makes a spot for her in between her legs as a place to sit and Vanya watches the show as Allison braids her hair. “I think there's something wrong with Mateo.” She says on a commercial break.

 

“You mean the fact that he has obsessive compulsive disorder?” Klaus replies from underneath Ben.

 

“No he doesn't. He's just weird.” Diego says and Vanya glares at him. “Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's totally fine.”

 

“He definitely has OCD though. It's pretty mild compared to what I've seen before.” Ben sits up while replying and Klaus switches spots with him so they're propped up on the pillows with Klaus mirroring Vanya. Ben starts carding his fingers through Klaus's hair.

 

“Oh yeah you remember crazy Sherry? She used to wash her hands all the time and count everything. She had to have exactly thirteen fries on her plate when we ate them.”

 

“Who's crazy Sherry?” “When did you meet this person?” Diego and Allison ask simultaneously.

 

“During his first visit to rehab. She was definitely weird. Although it was mainly due to the fact that she thought humans were lava monsters trying to eat the eggs in her brain.”

 

“Oh yeah I forgot about that. She didn't judge me for talking to you though so that was nice.”

 

“She thought I was your spirit guide.”

 

“To be fair you kinda were.”

 

Vanya left the others after a while and went looking for Mateo. She found him in the living room rechecking the night lights again. “Why do you feel like you have to check them?” She asks quietly.

 

He jumps slightly at her intrusion and turns slowly to look at her. His eyes are glossy like he can't believe she's in front of him. “I just. What if they go out at night and he freaks out or one of the bulbs is bad and they cause a fire or-” The words rush out of his mouth like he just ran a marathon and instead of needing air he needs words. Needs to explain that he's not crazy. That he's not weird. He knows it's strange but he's stressed. All. The. Time. Doing this stuff helps it back off a bit and he tries his best to explain it that way so that  _ she  _ doesn't think he's crazy.

 

“Does mom know?” She asks after he calms down. Takes a breath and focuses on her eyes. He loves her eyes, especially when they're blue because that's her even more than she's her now. He doesn't tell her that though. She doesn't like to be reminded of her blue eyes, of her rage. He nods instead affirming her question because words are getting harder and he wants to sleep. He really does but he  _ can't.  _ He has to finish  _ doing _ . He has other things he has to  _ do. _

 

She seems to understand that he can't sleep, can't _move_ without doing something. Tapping, counting, cleaning, checking, checking, checking. He's on pills now and they help. This is recent all the _things_ he does. He just found out the word, the compulsion, a few weeks ago from his therapist. He didn't realize it was an issue until his therapist saw him fixing her table. Again and again and again just for good measure. He seemed to do things in threes which is ironic considering his number is Five. He isn't even sure why he started. Stress she said. Abuse was a factor as well. He was told that after she had found out what Luther did to Klaus. Asked if Luther ever did anything to him. He said no. He'd lie even if he hadn't had to.

 

Vanya smiles at him and helps him up off the floor, guides him to her room. To her king sized bed which is much like his and the others but is dressed in purple. The comforter has plush lilac seashells on it. Her violin is in its glass case near her wall length window. Brown hardwood is underneath their feet at first just like the rest of the house but she has a suspiciously pink rug coming out from under her bed to stave off the cold for in the winter and mornings. He lays down after her and is mildly thankful he's already in his pajamas. She reaches for his hand as he lays on his back and entwines it with hers. Vanya falls asleep after he does. Knowing that she can't interrupt his compulsions she makes her last thought be that she'll at least make sure he takes his meds and gets to bed on time and is thankful that he's getting help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to delve into the Five has issues too phase of this.
> 
> Thoughts? Also if anyone has OCD, I do not, please let me know if I portrayed this right!! Plan on it being a minor thing for Vanya and Five later on.


	15. Yula - Lily and Kina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yula meets everyone and the kids learn about their fate. Then two unexpected people show up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy angst!!!!

It was finally Saturday and normally Yula would be grading tests but today she was headed to the Hargreaves to officially meet Vanya and Klaus as their aunt and explain that in reality she's their biological mother. She just hopes it won't be to confusing for them. They had already been through so much. She and Grace had been calling each other off and on during the week. Grace updated her on the horrors that Reginald put them through and she was forced to let it happen. While she updated Grace on Klaus's artwork and his attitude in class since the lock in.

 

It had been a month since it happened and Klaus was doing exceptionally well considering how traumatic it must have been. His new friends Adam, who now goes by Jalen, and Derek were transferred into his class afterwards at the request of she and Grace. The three boys were practically inseparable now and were at each others houses regularly. Luther and Grace made the joint decision that he needed structure and routine to help with his anger management so he transferred to the Silver Oak Military Academy a week after the incident. According to Grace, Vanya quit band and only played the violin as a hobby now and joined psychology instead. 

 

She was nervous. She was at the door and ready to knock or ring the doorbell. Should she do both? What if they hate her? What if they don't want to get to know her or they don't want her to know them? They'll be angry and sad. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Except that it was the only solution they had to keep them with Grace. Telling them now had to be better than finding out from a courtroom right? She had to go. She couldn't do this. She has anxiety for crying out loud! Her dna is most likely the reason why they have issues! She can't do this. Tomorrow she can do it. Yep tomorrow it is. She clutches her bag in her arms. Her family album and the twins’ picture in it to her chest it's only occupant and gets ready to leave. Oh God the door is opening. She didn't do that. The house must be haunted or telepathic, or feeds off of fear. Definitely the last one.

 

She watches the door open and Grace is on the other side of it. Concern evident on her face just as she knows full blown panic is on her own. 

 

“It's alright. I have all of them in the living room. Figured it would be easier to explain the whole situation all at once instead of repeatedly.” 

 

Yula feels her head nod in agreement and she's slowly brought into the house by Grace holding her hand lightly and leading the way. She has the twins folder under her other arm as they move. They head into the living room and Yula smiles as she sees Klaus sitting contentedly next to Luther. Vanya is on Klaus's other side on the couch while Allison and Diego are in the love seat beside them on the right. Mateo and Ben are sitting on the other love seat on the left leaving the two chairs at the head of the furniture circle empty for the adults.

 

They sit down in the chairs and Yula took a deep breath to steady herself as the children looked expectantly at them. Their eyes have a million questions in them but no one said a word. She wasn't sure if it was because they were to nervous or if it was residual effects of Reginald’s cruel conditioning. Either way she was going to hurt the man if she ever saw him again.

 

“I know you all have questions as to why Yula is here and you'll be able to ask them afterwards but right now we need to tell you some things first.”

 

Yula and Grace pull out the picture of the twins together and show them to the children. She focuses on the twins hoping they'll understand and know that she didn't want to give them up.

 

“Biologically, I'm Vanya and Klaus's mother.” She pauses momentarily so she can gather her thoughts. Get through the thousands of emotions coursing through her. Sees them all looking back at her in shock and fear of the unknown for the future.

 

“I had them when I was sixteen years old. Vanya was first while Klaus…. he almost didn't make it. He was blue in the beginning.... Once they got Vanya to cry to see that she was alright I think there was something that told her that he wasn't. She only got louder the longer he wasn't alive until all the windows in the hospital shattered from her sadness and anger. The minute he had color she stopped crying. They had to put him in a clear box to keep him healthy because he was so small. I remember Vanya got so agitated when she couldn't be near him that any time they took her out of the room he was kept in the equipment would malfunction. Eventually, after reports of other children with powers came out we realized it was her doing it and we made sure to keep them together.”

 

Yula's voice starts cracking and she can tell she's crying. Thankful that Grace decides to take over the story after that.

 

“Reginald bought you from her mother a week after you were born. You were the first that he obtained because of Vanya's use of her powers. He knew that if that was only a fraction of her power then she'd grow even more later on. When he learned she was a twin he thought that they'd share abilities due to your similar genetic makeup but as you know your powers are different just as your personalities and interests are.”

 

“Why are you telling us now? I mean it's been a month that you've been around us. Why now?” Vanya asks them timidly. Confusion etched on her face.

 

“We've had some things to take care of and have been talking back and forth-” Grace replies and Klaus cuts her off.

 

“You mean you weren't sure how I'd take it because of what Luther did and were waiting for me to get more stable.”

 

“....Yes. We also figured that it would be better coming from us than hearing it from a judge.” Yula says calmly. She glances at Grace momentarily silently asking how to go on from here.

 

“What do you mean they'd hear it from a judge? Are you giving them to her?” Luther he accuses Grace. Protectiveness rolls off of him in waves and he subconsciously squares his shoulders readying for some kind of fight.

 

A small smile forms on Yula's face at his display. She's glad that he and Klaus managed to get back to being siblings before they're inevitably ripped apart.

 

“No. They'll try to but Grace and I have agreed that they'll live in the house with her. If I have to be their legal guardian then I will be but it will only be in writing. Nothing else will change for them. They'll still refer to her as their mom. I'd like to be known as your aunt if you'll allow me to.” 

 

“Why is a court getting involved then? Why would you have to be their guardian? Mom seems to be doing fine.” Allison comments.

 

“She's also not human.” Mateo replies to her. “They called CPS didn't they? Which is why she's going to be their guardian. It's because they're giving us back to our biologicals right?” He looks at Grace for confirmation and clenches his teeth when she nods in agreement.

 

“How would they find out she's not human? They can't force it out of her.” Diego asks them all.

 

“Reginald will be taking the stand. We got confirmation that he'd be present a few weeks ago. CPS already spoke to him and asked him about your upbringing and he told them about Grace. They haven't taken you away yet because they don't know where to put you. Due to your powers and age they'd like to place you back with your biological mothers which is why they're sending DNA kits to collect samples from all of you as well as the women that are on your birth certificates to prove your lineage. The trial will be to see if they want you or not. I'll be claiming Vanya and Klaus and we're hoping that if the judge sees that they have a human making sure their needs are met then they'll be allowed to live with Grace so long as I oversee their care. We're also hoping that I can take guardianship of the rest of you as well so you aren't forced to be with strangers that sold you for profit.” Yula forces herself to stay calm while telling them the plan even though all she wants to do is scream and cry when they look so heartbroken. 

 

She wants to wrap them all in hugs and tell them everything will be alright, that the plan will work. Luther is shedding silent tears, Diego looks shell shocked, Allison looks terrified, Mateo looks furious and is no doubt coming up with a plan of his own. She can't tell what Ben is thinking, his face is like stone and it's as if he's talking to himself with how he's concentrating. She remembers suddenly that he probably is. Grace had mentioned that he can speak to the monster in the other dimension at will now. The twins just look a mix of sullen and hopeful. Looking to each other having a silent conversation in their heads.

 

Suddenly Klaus looks at her. “Does this mean I get to call you Aunt Yula in class? Will I get better grades because we're related? Shut up Vanya no one asked you.”

 

“Yes you can call me Aunt Yula in class, no I'm not giving you better grades just because we're related. Also I can't because you're making straight A's anyway.”

 

“Please don't tell your sister to shut up. It's not nice.” Grace tells him.

 

“Don’t rub it in Vanya.” Yula comments as she sees the girl immediately look smug at her brother. She sees Vanya blush at her comment and once again looks to Grace for approval only getting a knowing smile in return.

 

“Did you ever name us?” Vanya hesitantly asks after a few minutes. Klaus looks at her and sees the question in his eyes too.

 

“Eventually I did. I knew I wasn't going to keep you. I was a child myself and my family couldn't give you the life you deserved. Not that you deserved what he did to you because you didn't. None of you did. I wanted to put you up for am open adoption so that I could keep in touch with you but my mother determined money was better than your well being obviously.”

 

“What were our names?” Klaus asks after realizing she never told them.

 

“I….” She pauses, not wanting them to get the wrong idea. For some reason she doesn't want him to know she gave him a female name in the beginning. Thinking that he'll decide he doesn't want anything to do with her if he finds out. “That doesn't matter. You're Vanya and Klaus now and that's what matters.”

 

“It's okay if you gave me a girl name. I was just a baby and you were a kid trying to help your random babies that came out of nowhere. Besides you're accepting for me now and I think considering the circumstances you're doing great.” 

 

“Alright then. Vanya was going to be Gavrilla. It means Gabrielle in English. You were going to be Karina. It means beloved one.” They both nod at her announcement and from the looks on their faces share something between them but don't divulge what was said.

 

“Can she be our aunt too? I feel like if she's staying around then it should be an overall thing.” Allison asks excitedly after awhile. 

 

“She won't be living in the house with us but she will be a permanent member of our family so if you wish to call her Aunt Yula like the twins or Ms. Belov then that's up to you as well as if she wants you to. We've been discussing her living on the property since we have so much which is another reason why we waited to tell you.”

 

“I don't mind.” Yula says nervously feeling herself blush at the girl's unexpected comment. She never thought about what the others would call her or if they'd interact with her at all. The other children, besides the twins, agree to call her Aunt Yula with mixed enthusiasm. Then realize that Grace just said she'd be living near them instead of her apartment.

 

“You've been house hunting? Can we see it? Is it big? How many rooms does it have? Where are you gonna put it? Are you gonna get a pet? Is Sparky allowed at your house or does he have to stay here? What exactly happens now?” The children all ask simultaneously.

 

She and Grace answer their questions calmly. Explaining that they found a small white three bedroom house with a green roof and shutters that has a small matching white porch connected to the house that they're interested in and can be moved here within a couple of weeks. The sewer and water systems would come beforehand and placed in the ground ready for hookup. That it will be near the back of the property so that it looks more natural and the gate will be fixed up to have another entrance placed for her as well as a driveway. She doesn't plan on getting any pets at the moment but that could change later on and yes Sparky is welcome any time. Now they live their lives like they have been and try not to think about the court date. Grace tells them that eventually they'll get DNA kits sent to them in the mail with a court order to use them attached and an address to send them back to for testing and until the trial happens they'll help Yula move and get to know each other.

* * *

Two months. It's been two months since he showed up at her school with his mom. They had moved here for a fresh start after a hurricane hit their hometown. When she saw his records she had suspicions that he was her son from all those years ago but didn't want to say anything. He looked just like her after all. Same dark hair and eyes. He was taller than her though. She stopped at five foot three but he seemed taller.

 

Then Kina came home one day saying she saw the family out shopping with another woman and that she was fairly positive her own daughter was with them. Her long brown hair and lighter skin rivaled Kina's own darker tones and black shoulder length hair but their build was the same. She was even getting close to Kina's six foot height.

 

Lily and Kina grew up together and were best friends. They got married once the country allowed it but considered themselves wedded long before the law did. They went to college together too. Lily became a history teacher and eventually principal of her school while Kina was a lawyer. They both miraculously became pregnant with two of the forty-three children and were in desperate need of money when it happened. They both were approached by the man they now know as Reginald Hargreaves and were told he'd give them the best lives possible. He'd give them more than enough money to fix their home and get back on their feet so long as they never contacted the children. 

 

They agreed thinking that they were doing the right thing for all involved. They weren't ready to have children at the time and now they didn't feel like they deserved to. Kina did everything she could to track their kids down and eventually after twelve years she found them. Moving here after the hurricane forced them was by chance. They never intended to contact their kids thinking they were happy and loved but now. Now her son walked through the doors of her school with his mother and he looked like his world was falling apart. She explained that he had been expelled from his previous school due to bullying and that military school was the best solution for him. When she went home that day she told Kina and her fantastic wife said she'd look into it.

 

“He locked his brother in a closet and left him there knowing that the kid has massive claustrophobia and he's terrified of the dark.” She remembers Kina telling her, yelling more like it. Anger rolling off her in waves at his actions.

 

“His name is Luther.” She replied brokenly. Her brain tried to process why and how he could do such a thing but was stuck on his name. She knew his name.

 

“Great. Also please remember the fact that he bullied his own brother. Can we keep that in mind?”

 

“Why?” She questioned her wife. Not her anger. That was completely justified. It wasn't like they were going to go get the boy though. She decided long ago that she'd be happy watching him grow up from afar because he was happy and loved.

 

Except he wasn't. They learned when he came to the school that his father was out of the picture. His mother had given her full access to his therapist and her notes because of the act. She detailed abuse in the home from his father and suspected the father abused the mother as well. The final straw seemed to be a month before when the father locked his brother Klaus, the same one Luther abused, in a mausoleum. After the mother found out she got him out and made the father leave. He hasn't been heard from since.

 

“She's with them. My daughter. Her name is Allison.” Kina told her a few days after Luther unexpectedly entered her life.

 

They found out about Allison a little after they found out about Luther and again by chance. The girl came after school with their mother to pick up Luther. Kina was outside waiting on her when she noticed the girl. Grace came over and introduced herself as Luther's mother and Allison as his sister. Said she recognized Kina from the pictures in Lily's office.

 

Now. Now they were staring at two identical packages addressed to the each of them from a lawyer. “They're from child protective services.” Kina tells her. Her voice sounds hollow and confused echoing Lily's own thoughts. Did something happen to Grace? 

 

They open the packages and find court orders for the both of them stating that they were looking into the lineage of Luther and Allison. That their welfare was in question and the court wishes to reunite them with their real mothers. The court date is undetermined for now as they're locating the other mothers and waiting for all of the test results before setting a court date. They'll be mailed another letter with the information once it's set.

 

“We can't do this. We need answers first. They're punishing her for being a victim.” She hears herself say.

 

“We know where they live. We could bring the tests with us.” Kina replies.

 

They're at the door faster than seems possible to both of them especially since they were going as slow as possible. Rethinking every turn and light they come across.  The gate is open and doesn't seem to close to often. There's another smaller house beyond the main one and Lily finds herself wondering who lives in it.

 

Kina rings the doorbell for her and holds her hand. Both of which are shaking with nerves. They could tech be arrested for trespassing and probably stalking. The door opens to reveal a woman with brownish-blonde hair with paint all over her face, hands and clothes.

 

“Oh! I didn't realize we were expecting company. Sorry my nephew was trying to get my niece to try painting with us and then their brother and sister tried to get her into it and it eventually turned into a paint war. What can I do for you?” The woman asks in a light russian accent.

 

“Yula who is that?” They hear from behind the woman.

 

“Not sure. They haven't said anything.”Grace comes up from behind the other woman and instantly looks worried.

 

“Mrs. Turner, what can I do for you? Did Luther do something wrong?” Confusion is evident on the other woman's face as Grace speaks.

 

“No, no nothing like that.” Kina replies for her.

 

“I'm confused, who are they?” 

 

“The one on the left is Lily Turner, Luther's principal and woman next to her is her wife Kina.”

 

“Kina Abioye. We kept our last names when we married and we're here because we got these dna kits in the mail from a CPS lawyer. We haven't done them yet but we wanted to know why they were involved.”

 

“We think Luther and Allison are our kids.” Lily explains right after her wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So find and replace is awesome because I kept putting Lily's name as Amanda and didn't realize it until after.
> 
> She was also supposed to have a husband named Raymond and have no affiliation to Allison's mom but since we all pretty much seem to hate Luther I thought this would be poetical justice. Also I like to think they're better as best friends/siblings than lovers.


	16. Allison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and Kina tell Luther and Allison. Allison opens up about some of the torture Hargreaves did to her and then has THE fight with Luther.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel like this one took longer than normal because I couldn't figure out how to start it so sorry for the wait!!!
> 
> Triggers::: Mentions of harmful (in this case it is although if done correctly then doesn't have to be) and non-consensual skin bleaching 
> 
> Mentions of torturous whipping of minor, nonconsensual chaining, blood
> 
> PLEASE READ THIS NOTE BEFORE READING THIS CHAPTER!!! It's brief and doesn't really detail any gore but please stay safe!!!
> 
> Also please if you bleach/whiten your skin do it correctly and safely!!! I am not in any way condoning this as a harmful/unsafe thing!!!

Allison is covered in drying paint from the impromptu paint war she, Vanya, Klaus, Ben and Aunt Yula just had. She knows she should go take a shower to get it off of her and out of her hair. Unfortunately she's also thirsty and the desire for water outweighs her need to be clean. Plus Klaus and Ben were already using the shower in their room and Vanya was using theirs in the hall. So if she wanted a shower she'd have to use the boys and it was gross. It was amazing how dirty it could get considering it was just Luther and Diego using it. 

 

Mateo started using hers and Vanya's after his OCD started showing and he had an emotional breakdown with how unkempt the boys was. He dragged as much cleaning supplies as he could and portaled the rest to the bathroom and locked himself in for six hours until Vanya came home from a field trip and managed to calm him down enough to get him out. Not that the others hadn't tried to help him. He just ignored all of them or the more they kept talking to him the harder he scrubbed until they realized they were making it worse.

 

“We should probably apologize for Klaus right now rather than later.” Allison heard mom say from the entryway.

 

“Why is that?” Someone replies.

 

“Oh, it's mainly just a blanket apology. You'll understand soon enough.” Aunt Yula says.

 

Her mom and aunt come in with two other people and she freezes. She hasn't even made it to the kitchen to get water and now there are people looking at her while she's covered in paint. Not the best first impression. 

 

“I know I'm not clean but Vanya is in our bathroom, and Ben and Klaus are using theirs so I'd have to use the boys if I want a shower and I'd rather wait. Also I'm thirsty. Who are they?” She asks pointing to the visitors.

 

“Oh they're um… they're Luther's principal and her wife. You remember right? As to why they're here that's uh….” Aunt Yula starts only to motion for mom to finish.

 

“...They're here for dinner.” Mom replies.

 

“It's lunch time.” She deadpanned.

 

“Oh.” Grace looks caught and was very obviously trying to come up with something else when Allison sees Klaus and Ben come down the stairs from the corner of her eye. Both boys hair was still damp but they were very much clean and she was immediately jealous and annoyed.

 

“Well someone didn't take a bath yet.” Klaus goads her and smiles at her with faux innocence. She glares at him and wishes she had later vision or at least could come up with a good rumor to use even if the adults would scold her afterwards. Ben looks between them then to the other people in the room and seems to ignore Klaus in favor of the new adults.

 

“Who are they?” He asks pointing at them.

 

“Luther's principal and her wife. I'm not sure why they're here though because Auntie Yula and Mom are lying about it which seems to be a thing we're doing now. Vanya is using our shower and I refuse to use the boys which is why I'm still dirty because apparently not everyone gets to have their own shower that they can use when they want with their adoring boyfriend Klaus!” Annoyance overcomes her. She knows she's misdirecting it to Klaus and Ben but she doesn't apologize for it. They had given Klaus the bigger room hoping it would help his claustrophobia and Ben moved in a little after on his own and everyone agreed it was for the best.

 

“You can use ours if you want. Some of your hair stuff is under the cabinet.” Ben replies to her calmly obviously trying to diffuse the situation. 

 

“Thanks.” She mumbles out and walks passed them to their room. 

 

The dark wood floors go well with their room. Klaus painted different scenes on the walls that looked like they were from another planet. An orange swirling background that reminded her of the surface of Jupiter was coupled with evergreen and pine trees that looked like they were being swallowed by a monster. An eroded mountain had a blood red moon peeking out from behind it and a small village in front of the forest. The forest continued onto the next wall and changed gracefully to a sandy beach and a dock that goes out onto the ocean. It had tentacles coming out of it almost looking like they were reaching for the dock on the shore. The last wall had a barren land that was being rained down on by meteors from the sky above. The ceiling seemed to be part of the mosaic as well with different constellations on it, some she recognizes and others she doesn't, along with smaller random stars that turned into the meteors. Allison found herself wondering if the scenes were from Oren's dimension or a possible end of the world scenario that Earth was destined to have.

 

She went into their bathroom, which was painted a simple dark green and the sky ceiling changed from night to a blue cloudy sky, an odd contrast to their bedroom, and grabbed her hair products from under the cabinet. She wasn't sure if Ben or Klaus kept it organized but she did notice that not only did they keep her stuff but also Vanya and Mateo's down here as well. While she wanted to find it odd, ultimately she found it sweet that they would let everyone else intrude on their bathroom and even expected it.

 

She doesn't take to long getting clean. It's mainly her hair that's the problem since it's so long but eventually she gets done and is surprised to open the dresser on the other side of the shower to find some of her head rags she uses to put her hair up. She debates momentarily if she wants to borrow some of Klaus's clothes since they're around the same size at the moment and decides to just glance at what he has in the closet. 

 

She's honestly surprised that it isn't all crop tops that he has as far as girl's clothes go. He actually has a few cute dresses she recognizes from their shopping trip and decides to borrow a cute yellow summer dress with daffodils on it. Normally she wouldn't wear a dress, or at least one that isn't this revealing, they make her scars show. She'd normally wear a camisole or something over it so that they don't but she figures it wasn't her fault. She was just a kid and they were a part of her now so if she could use them to take him down then she would.

 

She wears the same undergarments since they aren't actually dirty. She then borrows some of Klaus's deodorant too since they use the same kind and it's not like they haven't shared before. She leaves the master bedroom with her clothes in her arms just as Luther is leaving his.

 

“Hey Ally, um nice dress.” 

 

“Thanks. It's Klaus's, I'm borrowing it but he doesn't know that yet.” Luther's face changes from hopeful to confused disgust in a matter of seconds. He probably thought that she was going to sneak away with him somewhere but she had been distancing herself from him since they came back. She enjoyed his company sure and she loved being able to talk to him again. She honestly just enjoyed having her best friend back. They hadn't talked for years when they were adults and Allison wanted to fix it. She did. Luther on the other hand seemed to only be interested in her romantically and not as friends.

 

She isn't sure how to explain that she doesn't want to do that anymore. That it was fun when they were kids the first time and sneaking around made her feel brave and special but it also made her feel wrong. She wanted what Ben and Klaus have: to not be afraid to tell people that they're seeing each other because they don't think it's wrong. She can't though, what started off as fun and interesting over time had turned into something shameful for her. She wasn't ashamed of Luther, not that he was her brother or that he has her back but she was ashamed of the late night kisses and caresses when no one was looking, or at least when she  _ thought  _ no one was looking. She was hoping that if she avoided Luther long enough then she wouldn't have to tell him she didn't want to be  _ with him _ just that she wanted them to be siblings like the others were. Unfortunately he couldn't take a hint and had been trying to talk to her any chance they were alone.

 

“Mom wants us to come downstairs.” He tells her stirring her from her thoughts. She nods numbly at him and continues to go to her room to put her clothes in her hamper and finds him still at the same spot she left him at. They go down together and see that everyone besides Vanya and Mateo are in the living room sitting down. She sits down beside Klaus and watches as he tilts his head upstairs after mom comments that Mateo and Vanya aren't here yet.

 

“Do it and I swear to God I will figure out how to come into your dreams and give you nightmares for a week!” They hear Vanya yell from upstairs seconds after. One of Mateo's portals opens in front of them and a book flies out smacking Klaus in the face. 

 

“Nice shot.” “Thanks.” Mateo and Vanya exchange to each other as they exit the portal. Both choose to sit on the floor. It doesn't escape Allison's notice that they sit closer to each other than normal either.

 

“Am I in trouble?” Luther asks from his seat while eyeing his principal.

 

Mom and Auntie Yula tell him that he's not in trouble and Allison can't help but notice how remnicient their seating arrangements were compared to when Aunt Yula came into all of their lives. The only things different really were the added chairs for Luther's principal and her wife. Then it happens, the wife goes first and says that her name is Kina Abioye. A high pitched ringing noise fills Allison's head as the woman tells her that she's her mother. That her wife is Luther's mother. Distantly she hears Klaus howling with laughter as they're told that she and Luther are siblings.

 

She feels sick, but also strangely relieved. It was like all of her feelings now made sense. Like a rubix cube finally clicking into place. Why she felt wrong for kissing Luther, why she felt like being siblings was normal. She remembers asking Klaus how he felt about Ben after he died. How it felt to love someone. She had expected him to say it felt like butterflies in his stomach, that's what everyone else said. He didn't though, he said that loving Ben was just a sense of calm. Like looking at him, being around him just made sense because everything slowed down and he felt safe. He didn't feel butterflies, he felt love and he felt nervous but he never felt like he wasn't enough. Not unless he got stuck in his head and made himself doubt. She remembers him looking at her and chucking a bit,  _ “Not that butterflies are bad or anything. Lots of people start off like that when they like someone but we already knew every about the other. Butterflies are good but when you really love someone? Looking at them makes you know that every is gonna be okay. It's just calm, even when you're fighting. If it's real then you'll cool off and get back to each other. They can come back too and I get them sometimes if I'm nervous or something. When you love someone you just…. know.”   _ He had said it like Ben was still there with him at the time it didn't make sense, but now and even then it should have. She wonder how he could do all the things he did knowing Ben was watching though. Probably did it so that he could die too or drown Ben out so he could pretend he was still alive. Like living without him was to much and dying wasn't enough because Ben would still be there watching.

 

“Why did you do it?” She finds herself asking. She doesn't even recognize her own broken voice. She looks up at the woman who claims to have given birth to her, not her mother. This woman would never be her mother. She feels anger grip at her chest and rip out of her throat. She looks at the woman's skin and feels betrayal, just a few shades darker than her own now. She used to be darker too.

 

“I thought that I was doing the right thing. I didn't have anything to give you.” The woman replies. Allison sees tears roll down her face and just gets angrier.

 

“You could have loved me. I know you didn't expect or plan me but you could have kept me. You could have checked in. You could've kept both of us instead of…”

 

“We weren't financially stable enough. We still can't raise both of you.” Luther's mom, Lily, cuts her off.

 

“She sold me to a psychopath! I didn't even know what racism was until later on. I didn't know that he was changing me! That he was taking something away until I was older. He used to make me take special baths that smelled weird. I asked him once why I had to and he didn't answer, just put me in the water and told me to get clean. Every day for months for half an hour I would sit in that tub until eventually he made me stop. I didn't know what was happening at first. He took my mirror away in my room and would cover the one in the bathroom.” She stops talking to calm down, sobs are clawing their way out of her throat and making themselves known in the air. She sees both the women, everyone, look at her in confusion. Except Luther, he knows. Knows what Reginald did to her because he helped. Sure he didn't know it was wrong back then. Neither of them did but she knows a part of her will probably never forgive him for not even speaking up.

 

“I used to look exactly like you. The only thing that stayed the same was my hair.” She looks the other woman directly in the eyes as she says it. Looks at her and watches as she connects the dots. Sees mom gasp in horror and cover her mouth. Tears forming at her eyes.

 

“He bleached your skin. God that must have…. How old were you?” 

 

“Started when I was five and ended when mom came into the picture. I didn't know what slaves were until later on. We learned about them last month during black history month in school. Learned how when they did something wrong they got whipped with an actual whip. She didn't go into detail on how painful it was but she didn't have to,”  She got up and pulled the dress down far enough to show them some of the tops of the scars that ran along her shoulders. Turned around so they could see and faced her siblings instead, “I asked for a puppy once when I was seven. Thought I would rumor it out of him. Figured it wasn't that bad and that he'd say no otherwise. I didn't even get two words out before he slapped me. He grabbed me by my hair and dragged me down to the basement. He had a long chain bolted to the ceiling for some reason and he put me on it. Bound me to it by my wrists and feet so I couldn't move. Didn't even take my clothes off before he came back with a bull whip and started using it on my back. Once he was done he let me off and made me clean up my own blood off the floor.” 

 

She heard them all gasp as she was talking and realized that mom never asked about them. She probably hadn't been able to until now. Pulled her dress back up after a few seconds more and sat back down.

 

Kina had tears in her eyes when Allison looked at her again. “I know you didn't expect me but I didn't deserve this and I don't want to live with you; I won't live with you no matter what the courts say because to me: you're just as guilty for this as he is. You made me a modern day slave without me even knowing what the word was.”

 

“Now that's not fair! We didn't know that he-” Lily starts out only to be cut off by Kina raising her hand at her to stop.

 

“No. She's right. I'm just as much guilty as he is. How can she look at me and think otherwise when you just said we can't keep both of them even now. What other options for her are there? I'm not sending her into foster care.”

 

“That's the only other option for her and we can't raise them both.” Lily tries to reason with her.

 

“Why? So that something like this can happen to her again?! She already has scars what if someone sees that as permission to make more? Why is your son living with us more important than her doing the same?”

 

“Because she gets along with them! Because we can do everything in our power to keep her here in a loving home where she's safe and cared for and loved but he can't stay. He can't stay because he's already proven himself a danger to one of them and if we tell the court that we knew what he did to Klaus and did nothing? That we didn't want to fix the situation and chose to ignore it instead in favor of keeping Allison? They'd take both of them away. So what we can do is do the same thing Yula is doing with the twins. You become her guardian but she lives here and Luther lives with us but can visit if they want him to. Under the guidelines that he's not alone with Klaus and that we get to visit Allison too if she wants us in her life. I am not saying that he's more important I'm saying that in order for us to keep them both without them revolting this is how we do it!” Lily yells at her wife trying to make her see.

 

“She's right. I think her plan is the only one where everyone wins.” Luther says from beside her.

 

Allison isn't sure what happens after that. One minute they're in front of her and the next they're at the door telling her they'll visit. Isn't sure how she made it to her bedroom or how much time has passed in between now and then only that she's in her room now and Luther just came in. She doesn't want to see him. Doesn't want to talk to him either. All she wants to do is curl up in a ball and cry. She didn't even realize how much anger she had towards the woman that birthed her until now. How much anger she had towards her loss of skin pigment. She didn't even know what he used because she never got darker later on in life. Everything she read said it wasn't permanent but there was no telling with Reginald Hargreaves. 

 

Luther was here now though. On her bed and was saying something. She didn't care. Wanted him to shut up so she could sleep. Was dead set on ignoring him until she couldn't. Until what he was saying caught up to her brain and she was pissed.

 

“.....It doesn't matter. We can still see each other. Just because they're married doesn't mean-” She bolts up right glaring at him and yells at him mid-sentence.

 

“-Oh my God Luther shut up! I don't want to date you! I don't want to be your dirty little secret. I want to find someone who loves me and I can bring home. I want someone who likes me for me not bec we bonded over trauma. I want someone who likes my siblings and isn't disgusted by them because they're being who they are!”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“You think I don't notice the way you look at Klaus in disgust when you think no one is looking? How angry you get when Vanya uses her powers? How you cringe when Ben uses his to help out around the house. How much Sparky hates you? Seriously? Are you that blind?”

 

“You're not my dirty little secret Allison!”

 

“Yeah? Well I think you're mine. I want to be able to bring someone home that encourages them to be themselves. Encourages me to be myself. I can't do that with you. I don't feel calm around you Luther. I feel nervous and sick. It used to feel great for awhile but now? Especially now that I know why? Now it feels more wrong than ever. I think you're right. Living with them would be good for you but not for me and I think that if we do that then eventually…. eventually we'll get back to being just siblings but until then? I think it's best if we just leave each other alone.” She doesn't look at his face when she says the last bit. Looks off to the side at her posters. Can't look at him, knows if she does then she'll take it all back. 

 

“Fine.” He replies. She can tell he wants to say more but doesn't. Can tell he's trying to stay calm but can't. Hears a thousand emotions in just one word as he walks out of her room.

 

Again she loses track of time. This time instead of anger it's because of sadness. Sadness that she made, that at the moment she regrets but knows it's for the best for both of them, for all of them. Eventually she gets up to get a glass of water and sees Mateo sneaking into Vanya's room. She isn't sure why he doesn't just portal in, or why they're trying to hide. It's not like they were having sex and even if they were no one would say anything. She knows that they're just sleeping because she was going to ask Vanya if she'd help her pick out an outfit for the next day and walked in on her petting Mateo's hair as he slept in her arms, curled into her chest. 

 

She makes her way down the stairs to the kitchen and finds Ben, Diego and Klaus already in there. Klaus is nodding off at the table with Diego sitting beside him and Ben is at the sink getting some water. Ben and Diego looked like they were in mid conversation and stopped just as she came in.

 

“Don't stop talking on my account.”

 

Ben smiles at her and Klaus's head goes down to smack the table only to be caught by Diego's quick reflexes and eased down instead.

 

“It's fine. We were just wondering if anyone else was going to show up at our door unannounced before the court date. Which apparently hasn't been set yet.” Ben makes his way to the table and sits down across from Klaus as he's explaining. 

 

“Oh. How do you know it hasn't been set?” She asks after getting a glass out.

 

Diego furrows his brows at her, “They were talking about it today before she told you who she was.”

 

“Although given what happened you probably blocked it out or something.”

 

“Must have. I was feeling funny before it. Then Luther came into my room just now and I had to tell him off which while was fun was completely necessary.”

 

The boys share a look that she tries to ignore but can't. Of course they knew about she and Luther. Everyone did. They just didn't talk about it because dad let them get away with it.

 

“Can we not talk about it please?”

 

“Sure. You wanna sleep in our room? Klaus won't mind. He'll be asleep until tomorrow anyway and Diego and I were gonna go to bed in a few.”

 

She nods her head after she's done with her water and says goodnight to Diego as he retires to his room. Watches in fascination as Oren's tentacles come out of Ben to wrap Klaus up just as they did in the graveyard to carry him to their room. She stops in their doorway to stare at the walls again and marvels at it in the night. The moon gives off a red glow, the water shimmers like the sun is hitting it in real life, the stars and meteors glow a faint yellow. She hears Ben say that some of it is from Oren's dimension and other bits are from Klaus's imagination. 

 

She's afraid to ask which is which as she falls into the bed and curls up on the other side. Listens as Ben lays Klaus down and curls up beside him. As Klaus whimpers slightly until she knows he's touching Ben. Curled around him like an octopus and unwilling to let go. She wants to ask Ben what he feels when he looks at Klaus but exhaustion wins out over curiosity, and sleep takes her before she's able.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know that skin whitening can be an okay thing and that the actresses on the show that play Allison are around the same skin tone HOWEVER this is a fan fiction and I wanted a different way for him to torture her without her actually realizing it. I feel like if she was darker like Kina in the beginning then he would want her to look like the others eventually type thing.
> 
>  
> 
> Another thing:: Thinking of creating a discord for the show/our boys. Anyone interested in joining if I did?


	17. Requests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not plot, request for scenes here

Request new scenes or chapters here!!!

 


	18. General

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school runs on candy, Allison shuns popularity, Vanya is the popular one and no one can keep Diego out of the vents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I did the thing???!!! Maybe???? Not sure if this is what you were describing but I did it?? I think??

The Hargreaves kids were definitely weird. When they first came to school there were at least seven news channel vans parked outside trying to talk to one of them. Eventually the vans left and they became just regular students. If regular students had powers and didn't act like they knew everything already.

 

The kid named Klaus was bat-shit crazy and constantly talking to himself or fidgeting. He said that he could talk to dead people if you asked him who he was talking to but no one believed him. He was always just the lookout when they were on tv for saving people anyway. Most everyone thought he was just crazy and none of the others wanted him to feel weird about it so they indulged him and said he had powers like the rest of them.

 

So yeah most people thought he was a crazy hyperactive kid and had a weird sense of fashion because he wore girls clothes all the time. Until you actually watched him and realized that he talked to himself through most of his classes and completely ignored the teachers but still made straight A's. That the kid had somehow gotten mean Ms. Belov on his good side and she let everyone eat in class now as long as it wouldn't mess with their projects where as before she hated even being able to hear pencils scratch on paper. He could haggle like a professional to get stubborn teachers to bend their ridiculous rules.

 

If Klaus was the school's definition of crazy then his boyfriend Ben was their definition of sane. At least that's what everyone thought at first. It was the only explanation they had for why the dude stuck around Klaus so much, like he it was his job to be the crazy kids conscience or something. Ben was a few inches shorter than Klaus but it didn't stop him from seeming like he was older and bigger. Dude just had this air about him like he wasn't to be messed with. He followed Klaus around everywhere and encouraged the other boy's antics glaring at anyone who tried to stop him from doing something. He was always aware of Klaus's presence and always touching the other in some way: a hand in his hair, pinkies entwined as they walked to class, piggyback ride in the halls when the teachers weren't looking.

 

The murderous glares that Ben gave off if he felt the other was upset would instantly turn to mush when Klaus caught his eyes. The only time the other boy stopped moving or talking was when Ben was touching him, like Ben’s touch was the only thing he was tuned into. Once the teachers figured it out they were paired up in all of their classes and everyone learned that Klaus was rather intelligent. He couldn't be placed in a foreign language class because he already knew all of them. Would even correct the teacher's pronunciation if they got it wrong and offered tutoring lessons in any language for those needing it.

 

Where Klaus was loud and mostly obnoxious Ben was silent and calm. He was also supposedly a musical prodigy but when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up he always replied with an English teacher instead, much to their band director's dismay. Ben was the kid that everyone soon went to when they had an issue with another kid. No one knew how he got the kids to stop and if anyone had theories then they were kept to themselves.

 

The only time rumors spread around how terrifying Ben could be was the first time he stepped in to fix an issue. An older cheerleader had been talking to him one day. The cheerleaders often went to Ben for math tutoring and the head cheerleader had let it slip that her boyfriend had hurt her the night before when he noticed the bruise on her arm and asked about it. She said that he had gotten mad at her because she didn't want to do it. Why a sixteen year old was telling this to a thirteen year old kid was a mystery but the Hargreaves kids all had that air about them like they were older than they seemed.

 

The next day the boyfriend came to school and apologized to her. Said that he should've respected her wishes when she said no and not hurt her. Tried to tell her that the Ben kid was a monster and that he was dangerous. Everyone knew what Ben's power was from tv and were all terrified of it until they realized he wasn't out of control like the media said. Ben actually had excellent control of his powers and from that day on everyone went to him with their issues not because he could scare the shit out of the person in the wrong but that when it was known that Ben knew what you did then if you did it again there'd be hell to pay. If you weren't friends with him and felt awkward about telling him your issue then all you had to do was give Klaus candy for him to be interested. It became a common thing that if Klaus got candy from some then the person giving it wanted to talk to Ben.

 

Allison was on her way to becoming the most popular of the kids when they first got to school. Everyone wanted her to use her power to get them something: a test delayed, no homework, make this person think or say this. Once Klaus's candy addiction became known they thought that if they let her know they gave Klaus some then she'd be more willing to listen like Ben was. They were wrong. The first time someone let it slip to her she stormed over to Klaus and glared at Ben for giving him to much sweets in the first place. So then anyone wanting to get Ben to listen had to make sure Allison didn't know.

 

Once the school realized she wasn't going to use her powers for them she became a social pariah. She even stopped talking altogether and brought a small marker board with her to talk to anyone in school and only spoke out loud to her siblings or for the debate team. Eventually kids left her alone and got to know Allison instead of The Rumor. The ones that got to know Allison learned that she had an excellent sense of fashion and wasn't afraid to use her power to help another girl out, either by rumoring teachers to let them go to the bathroom during class or stop their boyfriends from yelling at them.

 

Diego was just strange. The kid would rather make paper airplanes than talk to people. Despite his grumpy demeanor he had a lot of friends and was known to be rather nice compared to his siblings. Some kids even considered him the nicest of the kids or tying him with Vanya. He was rather shy though and had issues getting words out because of his stutter but once he got comfortable with you then he became more confident with speaking and the stutter died down.

 

He could often be seen coming out of or going into the air ducts around the school and used them as a scenic route to get around. Some people even thought he had little nests stashed away at different intervals, above his classes and the library. His books were never in his locker and were thought to live permanently above each of the corresponding classes but couldn't be proven because of how clean they always were. No one knew how he kept getting into the vents even after the school tried to stop him and even put alarms in them to make noise to deter Diego from using them. Instead they just became a challenge for him to find all of them and returned them to the principal by being lowered onto the man's desk a week after they were placed in the vents.

 

While Diego just looked grumpy but had a friendly personality his cousin/brother Mateo was the complete opposite. The guy was just plain rude and looked down on everyone besides his siblings, most of the time. Even they weren't immune to Mateo's eye rolls when he thought they were being stupid. Plus he used his powers constantly: going to class his one class that wasn't with Vanya, in gym when they had to climb the rock wall, outside when they were running on the track, and even to cut in line in the cafeteria.

 

Everyone, including his other siblings, thought it was annoying and you'd often find one of them scolding him for his excessive use of it. It was typically either Vanya or Diego getting onto him. Vanya would pull him out of a portal by one of his ears and make him go to the back of whatever he was trying to get ahead of and Diego would throw pencils at him and make him stick to the wall behind him for a few seconds. Klaus on the other hand would hop into the portal just before it closed just to see where it led even if it meant being halfway across the school then manage to guilt Mateo into bringing him where he actually needed to be.

 

Mateo's attitude changed when he met Billy. Billy was a skinny freckle faced orange haired kid with mismatched brown and blue eyes that had down syndrome so he was picked on a lot. They met one day when Mateo had ran out of energy from using his powers excessively and found himself on the wrong side of the school smack dab to where Billy was being bullied by four eighth grade kids for being different. The whole school was buzzing when word got out that Mateo had single handedly beat them up and helped Billy out. Word was that it only took one goofy smile from the other boy for Mateo to decide that he wanted to be friends with the kid.

 

Everyone was confused at the change in his attitude afterwards. Billy wasn't in any of his classes since Mateo's schedule was the direct opposite of the other boy's but he could be seen popping into the guy's classes to give him things he forgot in the previous one or remind him about certain random things the other kid liked and give them to him: a weird leaf Billy found outside that he swore looked like some celebrity he liked, a tiny pine cone that he found, a drawing he drew but didn't think was important so he left it only for Mateo to return it and tell him how interesting it really was.

 

Due to the fact that Billy had downs people assumed that he wasn't smart, and while he wasn't a genius like Mateo he was pretty average. The general consensus would watch in fascination as Mateo and Billy would play chess in the library and Billy would give Mateo a run for his money. The other siblings were shocked when Mateo arrived with Billy at their table at first but then accepted him with open arms when they realized he was there to stay.

 

After his integration into Mateo's life Billy would coax Mateo into using his powers to help other people out like he did for his friend. Eventually Mateo became known as the Finder because of it. If the item was important enough then Mateo would even get into the principal's office and get the confiscated item for you as long as he thought it was important regardless of your own thoughts on the item. In order to get his attention you couldn't go to him with a sob story though. If you did then he'd say it was a you problem and not a him problem. Instead, like Ben with Klaus, you had to offer something to Billy that he liked and slyly mention your missing thing and hope the kid would bring it up to Mateo.

 

It was a hit or miss scenario with an eighty percent success rate. Even if you found some Billy didn't like he'd still mention your lost thing to Mateo because he didn't really like taking the bribes in the first place but knew that if Mateo learned that people were only going up to him to get their stuff back then he'd be mad and stop doing it. Besides, most of the time he got free candy like Klaus did so he made sure to not complain and would often trade his spoils with the other boy for better goodies.

 

Vanya was the most normal of the kids and wouldn't use her powers at all. She was somehow even more nervous and skittish than Diego was when it came to interacting with people and would often look at the floor when talking to people. Most people avoided her because of it but were still more willing to talk to her than some of the others. She could often be found hanging around Mateo or in the biology lab reading.

 

She was known around the school as a geek and had an odd cult following because of it. The first girl in biology club was weird. Surprisingly Quinn, the quarterback junior high football player, became fast friends with her after she gave him tutoring lessons. She became known as the awkward nerd friend of the most popular guy and was invited to random parties that she turned down saying they weren't her style. While Allison was practically shunned by the popular crowd Vanya became integrated in it regardless of if she wanted to be in it or not.

 

The other kids found that she was actually quite funny once her shyness wore off and she started tutoring lessons for whoever needed it. Eventually the nineth grader pulled her away from her family and gave her more friends than she could count and still understood when she needed space or to hang out with just her family. The green eyed  jock with shaggy brown hair and the mousy brown haired nerd were an odd combination to behold by everyone and most thought Quinn had ulterior motives for befriending the girl regardless of his own rejections of their thoughts. Claiming that they were just friends and that he thought she was pretty cool. He even let her braid his hair a few times in class or after school when she was bored.

 

Teachers around the school may or may not have bets placed on who the girl would choose to be with when the time comes: Mateo or Quinn. Both of which had attributes she very obviously liked and got along with quite well.

 

Luther was making friends at his new school fairly easily and found himself in his own popular crowd like Vanya did. However unlike Vanya he welcomed the attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fucking love Billy and Mateo's friendship and Billy in general. This friendship may have been planned for awhile.....
> 
> Yes Vanya will get a female friend later on.
> 
> Also apparently this is what happens when you ask for Vanya and Five, I give possible competition.


	19. Jalen - Mateo - Jalen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the sextuplets birthday and they're getting presents!! Vanya has a new friend who Mateo knows??!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so very deeply sorry for not updating!! Here's a new chapter and yes I plan on updating more!!!
> 
> This is a song lyric chapter!! The lyrics are how Mateo feels!!
> 
> Also there's a new character in this one!! They were supposed to be revealed later on but this seemed better.
> 
> As always let me know what y'all think!!

He had been watching Klaus stare at the box on his desk for about three minutes. He and Derek realized yesterday while they were on their date that it was the sextuplets birthday the next day so they decided to get each one a gift. They got Klaus's first, an eyeless blue and black striped crocheted kraken hat that had dark green suckers on the inside of the tentacles they found at the mall, and decided to wrap it up in red wrapping paper and give it to him in art class. The problem was that they had dropped it off at his desk that he shared with Quinn when they came in but the boy had just been staring at it so far. It was like he wasn't sure how to process the gift. Klaus starts wiggling his leg subconsciously and frowns at the box.

 

“You're supposed to open it dude.” Quinn whispers to him from at their table.

 

“Why?” Jalen hears Klaus whisper back.

 

“It's a birthday present dude. Der and I got it yesterday because we realized it was your birthday today.” Jalen replies to them. Klaus frowns at the box even more like he's trying to solve a puzzle.

 

“Why are you acting like you've never gotten a birthday present before?” Derek asks from beside him after Klaus still doesn't open the box and stares at it like it's a trap.

 

“Probably because I've never gotten one before. I'm pretty sure Allison got presents but that was….. something else entirely, nevermind.” The last part rushes out of his mouth like he's made a mistake and tries to correct it.

 

“Wait, what do you mean you've never had a birthday present? Aren't you guys fourteen? You're saying in fourteen years you've never gotten a birthday present?!”

 

“What do you mean you've never gotten a present?” Ms. Belov asks from the front of the room.

 

They watch as Klaus squirms in his seat and grumbles something that Jalen doesn't catch, like he's arguing with himself. The boy huffed in annoyance at the unspoken words he seemed to be arguing with. Jalen was starting to think the rumors of him being crazy were true. One of Mateo's portals opened up before them just as Klaus opened his mouth to respond.

 

“How exactly did you manage to be the first of us to get a birthday present?” Vanya practically yells out of it before she comes through completely with Ben and Mateo following close behind.

 

“We have rules Vanya! No listening in school! Also, I expected better from you Mateo!” Klaus shouts back at them.

 

“Seriously? Is he being serious? Does he need a refresher or something?” The small boy asks Vanya sarcastically. Rolling his eyes at his brother he motions to each of them as he replies, “Five helps Seven and Six helps Four.”

 

Jalen stares at the siblings in disbelief as the three argue with each other. Ben ignores them, choosing to go to Klaus's desk instead and promptly sits in the others lap completely stunning the squabbling siblings to silence. Vanya and Klaus had twin expressions of shock on their faces and Mateo just looked mildly annoyed by the new turn of events. Apparently this wasn't a typical thing for Ben to do. He found himself wondering what Klaus said about he and Vanya listening to each other as Ms. Belov tries to get them to go back to their own classes. He tunes out of the conversation when he hears Derek chuckle beside him. Ben was simultaneously shaking Klaus's gift in the air with one arm, effectively holding it away from Klaus, and holding Klaus back with his other hand as the boy strains to reach for the gift and shouts at him.

 

“You're not supposed to shake it!” Klaus yells at the small asian boy in his lap.

 

“Really? I thought that's what you were supposed to do with gifts. How else are you supposed to figure out what's in them?”

 

“You open it you big doofus! Now give it back! What if it's breakable?”

 

“Pretty sure we would've heard it bust by now.” Mateo chirps out from his spot beside Vanya. 

 

"Don't open it!! I want to keep it in the box!"

 

"Why?" Ben asks.

 

"Because it's the first gift I've ever gotten and I like the shiny red paper!! Now give it back!"

 

Jalen watches as Ben reluctantly turns to give the present back to Klaus only for it to be swallowed up in a small portal and dropped directly in Mateo's hands who immediately starts to carefully undo the wrapping paper. If Jalen didn't know any better then he'd think that Mateo was being conscious of Klaus's odd interest in the paper but knew that he most likely just wanted as little of a mess as possible. Klaus complained the entire time and made frantic grabby hands for the box while Mateo was opening it. Vanya scolding him all the while only for Mateo to respond that presents were meant to be opened and used for their intended purpose. 

 

The present is pulled out of the box and Klaus shrieks when he realizes what it is. Demands for Mateo to give it to him immediately and that he's never ever, ever taking it off. The other Hargreaves kids look at the present in confusion as Mateo moves it around to try and figure out what it is.

 

"It's an octopus hat!" Klaus practically screams at them as Ben flinches slightly from his increased volume.

 

"Sorry" Jalen hears Klaus mumble to Ben as he pulls his head closer.

 

Ben lets out a noise as the hat is promptly tossed at Klaus who grins ear from ear as he puts it on and announces that its name is Edgar. Jalen grins just as big as Ben looks adoringly at his boyfriend before the others are asked to go back to their own classrooms.

 

Despite Ms. Belov's insistence that hats aren't to be worn inside Klaus somehow manages to get her to concede to his whims rather easily as did the other teachers when Klaus wore the hat throughout the day. Jalen and Derek invited themselves over to Klaus's house after school in order to give the other siblings their presents and refused to tell Klaus what they were. 

 

The trip back home was fairly uneventful with Billy, Jalen, Derek and Quinn all joining most of the siblings in an impromptu birthday bash. 

 

* * *

 

Mateo furrowed his brows when he saw all the presents awaiting them in the living room. All neatly piled into six piles, each with a piece of paper taped on top with the name of who the pile belonged to. Surprisingly they all seemed to have an equal amount instead of one towering over the others which Mateo inwardly smiled at. 

 

It's been thirty minutes since they've been home and Vanya is late. His other siblings are torn between being concerned for her and wanting to tear into their presents, himself included if he's being honest. He was about to get up when he heard the door open and Vanya's laughter filled the air and made a light breeze filter through the room. It was the next sound, however, that made him freeze in his place. The laugh that he knew oh so well but also thought it was just a haunting melody in his head from some long forgotten nightmare. He  _ knows  _ that laugh, was the cause of it for many years in fact.

 

Vanya comes into the living room with a shoulder length blonde haired, blue eyed girl who has a long flowery dress on quite similar to Vanya's own. He watches as the girl stops laughing and stares at him wide eyed. He feels like all the air gets knocked out of him when she does. She looks almost exactly the same as she did when they first met, the time from his dreams at least. Time freezes around them before he can really react 

 

"Dolores." He says through clenched teeth.

 

"How dare you?! Honestly Five, you replace me with an inanimate object and now you think you can call me by the same name! What makes you think you have the right!" She sneers at him in disgust. 

 

Strange how forty-seven years of love could turn into such hatred.

 

_ ~I have questions for you~ _

 

"Well considering the fact that I don't even  _ remember _ your name because you brainwashed me, I think I'm pretty  _ fucking _ validated!" He screams at her at the top of his lungs.

 

_ ~Number one: Tell me who you think you are?~ _

 

He doesn't expect to sound so torn or feel like he's been split open and just wants to scream. How  _ dare  _ she come back into his life like nothing happened. How dare she befriend  _ his  _ Vanya. 

 

_ ~You got some nerve, trying to tear my faith apart.~ _

 

He freezes when her lip starts wobbling like she's about to cry. Isn't sure if it's an act or not. He wouldn't put it past her at this point though. He wasn't even sure why she was here to begin with, only that he wanted her gone. 

 

_ ~Number two: Why would you try and play me for a fool?~ _

 

Most of him was furious at the girl,  _ his wife,  _ his treacherous brain reminded him. Her wobbling lip actually did turn into tears after a few seconds and all he wanted was to comfort her, even now after all the pain they had caused each other.

 

_ ~I should have never, ever, ever trusted you.~ _

 

He freezes instead of screaming once more. It wouldn't help their situation anyway. She controls their environment at the moment and he was powerless to that fact. Years of them laughing and crying together assaulted his brain. Them taking mini-vacations to the beach, finding odd little trinkets from Before: when the earth was alive instead of crumbling around them. The day they married themselves and swore they'd always be together and never betray the other. They exchanged shell necklaces that they made from rummaging the beach instead of rings.

 

_ ~Number three: Why weren't you who you swore that you would be?~  _

 

"I'm so sorry Five." Her voice even wobbled a bit when she spoke.

 

_ ~My, my name was safest in your mouth now why'd you have to go and spit it out~ _

 

"Please, just… You have to understand. They  _ made me do it _ ! I'm sorry! I didn't want to do it Five. I swear!"

 

_ ~Your voice, it was the most familiar sound but it sounds so dangerous to me now~ _

 

He scoffs at her attempt to win him over, knowing that it's a ruse. Their time together was a lie and at the end of the day he was just another mission for her to complete. He ignores her when she moves towards him. Backs away when she tries to cling to him once more and forces his face to show no emotions. It takes more effort than he thought it would. Always imagined it would be easy considering how he had killed her so easily when his siblings were adults but now… now she looks like  _ his Dolores _ , or whatever her name was. He couldn't remember it because she messed up his head when he refused to join The Commission the first time around.

 

"What exactly is your name? Your real one; or would you rather me call you the Handler?" He asks. 

 

He tries to make it sound as cold as possible but knows he's failing. It hurts to look at her like this. He hates himself for caring for this girl. Had to remind himself that she's the reason why he was so messed up now. That she was the reason why he knew what it was like to kill another person. That she was the reason why he  _ liked  _ doing it. He had lied to Diego when he had asked but had a suspicion that the other knew the truth.

 

_ ~I've got questions. I've got questions haunting me.~ _

 

"It's Delilah. I was telling you the truth the first time." Her voice comes out as a whisper. Almost like she's afraid of his reaction.

 

She should be. He's torn between strangling her and kissing her stupid. Isn't sure which is due to his stupid hormones or from his brain actually processing what's happening. He's stuck on processing the information he faintly remembers and what he's been told into facts. 

 

Fact one: her name is Delilah, he doesn't remember her middle or last names and honestly doesn't care. 

 

Fact two: she was with him the first time he got stuck in the future.

 

Fact three: she was one of the forty-three kids with powers like he and his siblings. Her power was stopping time and altering memories with a simple touch.

 

Fact four: she was taken from this time and raised in the future by the commission so that they would be the same age when they eventually meet with the premise that her power would protect her from dying.

 

Fact five: she would eventually grow up and become The Handler if she didn't change like Vanya was trying to.

 

"So what do we do now. You're obviously not leaving any time soon." He finds himself asking after awhile.

 

He knows he gets lost in his head when he thinks on things. So he isn't sure how much time has actually passed but knows that she's stopped crying. 

 

_ 'You used to call her Lila' _ his brain reminds him as he looks at her face and waits for an answer.

 

He imagines himself kissing her tears away, or slitting her throat open. Both would work for him at this point. He finds himself closing his eyes for some reason, against his better judgment, but his mind seems to be under the impression that neither are a threat to the other. 

 

"What did you ever do with it?  _ Her, _ I mean… Dolores is what you called her wasn't it? Why Delores?"

 

He scoffs at her question. Wants to reprimand her for calling Dolores an "it" but knows she has a point. Dolores was the mannequin he used in place of her absence. He used it in order to make sense of the odd dreams,  _ memories _ , he'd have that didn't make any sense. Delilah was the real person: the one he spent most of his life with and the one who betrayed him so thoroughly that he wasn't sure how it was even possible for him to still have feelings for her. He wants to goad her into admitting that she knows that's what he called her but doesn't. He decides to humor her instead for some reason.

 

"Dolores means sadness. After, after I was alone I was sad all the time. At first I thought I just missed my family but now that I remember everything I know I was missing you too…. I didn't remember everything at once. Most of it came to me when I was asleep and I thought they were just dreams or that I was going crazy so… she helped me think I wasn't. It wasn't until you died that I finally remembered everything."

 

"Well…. As far as what happens with us now I think we should call a truce. I even have a way we can do it. In all honesty I meant to give them to you in front of everyone as a show of good faith but i suppose i can give you the first one now and the second when I start time back up again."

 

She reaches into her dress and pulls out a small box that looks like it could hold a watch. Idly, he wonders at the fact that her dress has pockets and finds himself wanting to ask her if that's why she got the dress. He doesn't think she  _ normally  _ wears flowers but then again they didn't exactly shop for things they enjoyed wearing when they were growing up; only looking for things that fit right. 

 

He doesn't answer when he opens the first gift, too caught up in admiring her to speak. He was correct in assuming the contents of the box he realizes as he pulls out an intricately made one. The band on it is made of black leather and it looks like it will continue to be able to fit him as he grows. The face on it is odd however. Instead of hands and ticks or numbers for telling the time it had three boxes. It looked very much like the mechanics the briefcases had on them in the commission. It even had little dials on the side and once he turned one of them he realized that's exactly what it was. She had somehow made a miniaturized briefcase and turned it into a watch for him to use.

 

He looks up at her once more in awe. He tries to remind himself that she's probably going to turn against him eventually but right now he's too caught up in the memories of how he felt about her and the value of the gift to feel anger. Which is getting increasingly annoying.

 

"I made one for me too. I thought that if I gave you one too then you'd feel better about me having one, and before you ask I only made them as a last ditch escape route. It's not fair that you're the only one between us that gets to reinvent themselves you know. Besides… I like Vanya and I want us to be friends so I plan on sticking around for her. She's less… annoying… than I thought she would be."

 

He narrows his eyes as he slips the watch onto his left wrist. He knows for a fact that he doesn't like the idea of Lila and Vanya being friends but isn't sure if it's more out of selfishness for one girl or the other. Possessiveness surges through him for both of them, which makes him even more confused. Arguably Lila should be the one he feels more interested in given their history. However it's because of their history that he wants to literally bury her alive just as much as he wants to kiss her senseless. Whereas Vanya is his sister and he should  _ not  _ be having feelings for her. He silently wonders if Ben ever went through this when he initially thought of Klaus as being more than.

 

He knows that he also doesn't like the fact that she has a watch of her own but it makes sense considering the fact that she made both of them. The fact that she took the time to make him one and give it to him instead of keeping both for herself makes him feel weird, lighter somehow. He's positive his therapist would say that it's a step in the right direction; that these are happy emotions and happiness is a good thing. He isn't so sure about this version of happiness though. Is happiness still good when you feel it for your backstabbing snake of an ex-wife who you aren't actually separated from or married to?

 

She made time flow back around them normally after that. He doesn't apologize for killing her. He isn't sure what to say to her other than that he expects her to keep Vanya safe, which she pouts at. She probably expected him to say for her to keep herself safe, but Vanya is his sister and if it came down to choosing if one of them lived or died they both knew he'd pick Vanya. It was a fact neither brought up but silently knew. They made sure to get in relatively the same places they were when Lila stopped time so that no one was suspicious of anything. Both acted like they didn't know the other when they were introduced.

 

* * *

 

Jalen is ecstatic when the siblings open up all of their gifts. He, Derek and Quinn give the siblings their gifts from them at the end and watch as each one has a different way of opening the packages. 

 

Luther rips off the wrapping paper like it's nothing and even accidentally rips open a few boxes without meaning to during his frenzy. The boy seems most excited when he gets a camera from the woman who they were introduced to as his biological mother. 

 

Allison shreds her presents open just the same but with a bit more finesse and shrieks in absolute glee when she gets a board game that she promptly tells them all is call Lawsuit and demands that they all play it with her later on.

 

Diego uses one of his knives to slice the paper precisely down the lines and seems rather pleased when he gets even more knives. Grace immediately tells him that they're  _ only  _ for the kitchen as they're high grade chef knives and that he'll be the only one using them since they're his.

 

Klaus has Ben open his gifts for him when he says he doesn't have the heart to destroy the paper. His gifts are a mix of things for Sparky and new clothes. He also gets new charcoal and other art things from his aunt and mom.

 

Mateo's gifts are strategically opened from smallest to biggest. The smallest one comes from Vanya's new friend, to everyone's amazement, and seems to be a necklace with a seashell on it. Jalen doesn't miss the blush that forms on the other boy's cheeks or the glare that Vanya sends the other girl when she hands him the gift. The other siblings complain when the girl says she doesn't have anything for them, besides giving a hat to Vanya.

 

Ben opens his gifts in an odd mix of tentacles and hands. Sometimes they work together to open one and other times they multitask and open two at a time. He's the first one to finish opening all of his gifts and laughs when he gets to a human skull pen holder, which was obviously from Klaus if the smile on his face is anything to go by. He also gets the new edition of Scrabble and makes a deal with Allison that they'll rope the others into playing with them afterwards.

 

Vanya opens hers like every gift is going to bite her. Small continuous nips at the paper eventually lead to all of hers being opened. She lets out a barely there laugh when she receives a ukulele. Her aunt explains that she thought it would be a nice alternative to the violin if she wants after Vanya picks it up and thanks her.

 

Once all the other gifts are opened the three friends give the rest of the siblings their presents: Vanya gets a pink scarf from Quinn and bracelets from himself and Derek. Diego gets an archery glove from the three of them. They decided to get Ben a ghost hat that resembles Klaus's octopus. They gave Five a joke book which Klaus laughed at. Allison gets a hat and gloves combination since they weren't sure what else to get her. They even managed to get  Luther a nice skateboard from a second hand store. Billy was the last to give out his gift and he only gave one to Mateo since he didn't feel comfortable giving the others anything. As it was Mateo's gift was just an odd drawing that Billy had made but Mateo acted like it was the best he had gotten regardless of how strange the others thought it was.

 

Cake was brought out after presents and afterwards everyone crowded around the TV for movies until their parents came to get them. No one commented on how Mateo somehow had Vanya on one side and her friend Delilah on the other, or the fact that he and Delilah seemed to know each other. If Jalen didn't know any better he'd say that the two were the best of friends. Well he would if Mateo didn't tense up every time Delilah touched him only to relax seconds after like nothing happened. All he knew currently was that those two were acting strange and he wanted to know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the words with squiggles are song lyrics from I have Questions by Camila Cabello and I highly suggest listening to the full thing!!
> 
> Before anyone gets upset Dolores IS the mannequin and repressed memories of Delilah/the Handler. 
> 
> The idea is that the apocalypse we saw in the show is the second one he went through whereas the first one he was with Delilah who was supposed to kill him if he refused to join the commission but she made him forget about her instead.

**Author's Note:**

> Discord link::
> 
> https://discord.gg/8ChHYxz


End file.
